Adjunctive diagnostic methods for monitoring progressive periodontal diseases.

Diagnosing periodontal diseases involves determining the classification of the disease and the recognition of disease severity at the time of the clinical examination. Traditional diagnostic methods, such as radiographs and periodontal probing, have several limitations. Newer diagnostic techniques have been developed that could help determine whether specific sites are actively breaking down or if the site will experience future active disease. The newest technique is a genetic susceptibility test to identify patients who are at an increased risk for periodontal disease before problems develop. The screening of at-risk patients after initial therapy with these newly developed monitoring tests may lead to improved treatment and prevention of periodontal disease.