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Last Updated: Sep 2009
Last Updated: Sep 2009
If left untreated, periodontitis causes progressive bone loss around teeth, looseness of the teeth and eventual tooth loss. Periodontitis is a very common disease affecting approximately 50% of U.S. adults over the age of 30 years. Periodontitis is thought to occur in people who have preexisting gingivitis - an infection that is limited to the soft tissues surrounding the tooth and does not cause attachment or bone loss. The cause of gingivitis is the accumulation of a bacterial matrix at the gum line, called dental plaque. In some people, gingivitis progresses to periodontitis - the gum tissues separate from the tooth and, with loss of the PDL, form a periodontal pocket. Subgingival bacteria (those that exist under the gum line) that exist in periodontal pockets can cause further inflammation in the gum tissues and further loss of attachment and bone.
If left undisturbed, bacterial plaque calcifies to form calculus. Calculus above and below the gum line must be removed completely by the dental hygienist or dentist to treat gingivitis and periodontitis. Although the primary cause of both gingivitis and periodontitis is the bacterial plaque that adheres to the tooth surface, there are many other modifying factors. One of the most predominant risk factors of periodontal disease is tobacco use. Another very strong risk factor is one's genetic susceptibilty. Several conditions and diseases, including Down syndrome, diabetes, and other diseases that affect one's resistance to infection also increase susceptibility to periodontitis.
If left undisturbed, bacterial plaque calcifies to form calculus. Calculus above and below the gum line must be removed completely by the dental hygienist or dentist to treat gingivitis and periodontitis. Although the primary cause of both gingivitis and periodontitis is the bacterial plaque that adheres to the tooth surface, there are many other modifying factors. One of the most predominant risk factors of periodontal disease is tobacco use. Another very strong risk factor is one's genetic susceptibilty. Several conditions and diseases, including Down syndrome, diabetes, and other diseases that affect one's resistance to infection also increase susceptibility to periodontitis.
Periodontitis, or Pyorrhea, is a disease involving inflammation of the gingiva, which, often persisting unnoticed for many years in a patient, can result in loss of clinical periodontal attachment between the teeth and the surrounding alveolar bone. This differs from gingivitis, where there is inflammation of the gingiva but no loss of clinical attachment; thus, it is the loss of clinical attachment around that differentiates between these two oral inflammatory diseases.
Periodontitis is an infection of the periodontium, or one of the four tissues that support the teeth in the mouth:
- the gingiva, or gum tissue
- the cementum, or outer layer of the roots of teeth
- the alveolar bone, or the bony sockets into which the teeth are anchored
- the PDL, or periodontal ligament, which are the connective tissue fibers that connect the cementum and the gingiva to the alveolar bone.
Periodontitis is an infection of the periodontium, or one of the four tissues that support the teeth in the mouth:
- the gingiva, or gum tissue
- the cementum, or outer layer of the roots of teeth
- the alveolar bone, or the bony sockets into which the teeth are anchored
- the PDL, or periodontal ligament, which are the connective tissue fibers that connect the cementum and the gingiva to the alveolar bone.
