PERIODONTICS
From the Clinic Manual
Preventive Dentistry and Oral Hygiene
Diagnosis and Clinical Considerations
Postoperative Evaluation of Therapy
Guidance on Referral For Periodontal Specialty Care
Periodontal Risk Assessment Form
A. Definition: Periodontics is that branch of dentistry dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of the supporting and surrounding tissues of the teeth and their substitutes and the implantation or transplantation of teeth or their substitutes. The goals of modern periodontal therapy are to preserve and maintain periodontal health, aesthetics, and function of the natural dentition and implanted tooth replacements.
B. Scope of Care
- The goals of periodontal therapy may be occasionally compromised, e.g., when a patient is unable or unwilling to act as an effective co-therapist, when a practitioner elects to temporarily retain a hopeless tooth that is serving as an abutment for a fixed or removable prosthesis, or maintaining vertical dimension during active periodontal therapy, or a medically compromised patient serve as examples of individuals who may best be treated with a limited therapeutic program equivalent to periodontal maintenance treatment.
- The currently accepted clinical signs of a healthy periodontium include the absence of inflammation, bleeding, and exudate. The genesis of pathologic changes in the periodontium is multifactorial and requires an understanding of the classification and etiology of periodontal disease. Knowledge and training in the various modalities employed in periodontal therapy are also essential.
- The common forms of periodontal disease are gingivitis and periodontitis. Periodontitis may be generalized or may be site specific, i.e., affecting only isolated areas. In addition, these major diseases are chronic in nature and require complex therapy, maintenance, and observation by both the professional and the patient. Each patient’s therapy is determined by evaluating the local and environmental factors as they interact with host-derived factors. The identification of those factors and the degree to which they participate in each patient’s case is the basis for determining what periodontal therapeutic techniques will be used. In periodontics, a wide range of therapy exists. No one treatment approach can provide the only means to treating any one, or all, of the periodontal disease types. Further, one treatment may be appropriate for one section of the mouth, while another therapeutic approach is more suitable elsewhere.
- The maintenance, in health, of a functional periodontal attachment and the maintenance of those tissues contiguous to surgically implanted tooth replacements is essential for long-term success.
