Periodontal Diagnosis

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease of bacterial origin that results in the progressive destruction of the tissue that supports the teeth, specifically the gingiva, periodontal ligament and the alveolar bone. Evaluation of the clinical features of periodontal disease is critically important in obtaining essential information that can be used to detect the presence, determine the type and assess the severity of the disease. At the present time, the diagnosis of periodontal diseases is almost entirely based on traditional clinical assessments. Information collected during a periodontal examination is absolutely essential if one is going to intelligently determine a diagnosis and develop an effective treatment plan. Several automated computer-linked, pressure-sensitive periodontal probes have been developed to more precisely detect small changes in probing depths and clinical attachment levels. The findings from such diagnostic procedures serve as the basis upon which a treatment plan is formulated and, after treatment, such procedures can also be extremely useful in evaluating treatment outcomes.