Periodontal disease progression.

The progression of periodontitis has been an area of active research during the past year. Prevalence and disease severity studies indicate that severe periodontitis remains a problem of considerable magnitude. The standard for evaluation of periodontitis progression is sequential attachment and bone-level measurements. A vast number of approaches to identify indicators of periodontal disease activity are under development. These include methods to detect bacterial infection or the breakdown of the periodontium. The number of proposed models of periodontal progression has expanded along with the identification of risk factors at the site, subject, and population levels. No model currently under consideration is predictive of future periodontal disease progression.