A periodontal treatment consists of scaling and root planing, also known as phase 1, etiological phase, non-surgical treatment or hygienic phase. It is the main and Gold standard phase of periodontal therapy.
The objective of this treatment is to achieve healthy oral conditions by removing plaque and calculus to reduce the bacterial mass to a level that allows a balance between bacteria and host, as periodontitis is often associated with the presence of bacterial biofilm and calculus on root surfaces.
What are the causes of periodontal diseases?
Periodontitis is a multifactorial or probabilistic disease in which there is an interaction between genes and environment.
For periodontitis to exist, there must be specific bacteria that, together with a series of biological risk factors (systemic diseases, genetics, immune response) and environmental factors (oral hygiene, smoking, stress), trigger a series of metabolic changes that lead to the destruction of the periodontium.
What symptoms indicate the existence of periodontal disease?
Clinically, periodontal disease is characterized by gingival changes in color and texture, e.g. redness and swelling, as well as a marked tendency to bleed on probing in the area of the gingival sulcus.
In addition, periodontal tissues may show periodontal pockets (increased distance from the gingival margin to the bottom of the gingival sulcus), gingival recession, or both.
More advanced stages of the disease are usually associated with tooth mobility, migration and crowding.
What are the risks of this type of disease?
In addition to oral alterations (alterations in the gum and alveolar bone with loss of teeth), we know that periodontitis can spread pathogens throughout the body causing other diseases.
These risks can be summarized as follows:
- Diabetes Mellitus: there is a bidirectional relationship between periodontitis and this type of diabetes. Untreated periodontal infections can increase the risk of a diabetic patient having worse glycemia. On the other hand, periodontal disease can be considered a clinical complication of Diabetes Mellitus.
- There seems to be a moderate association between periodontal disease and diseases induced by atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases.
- Pregnancy: periodontal disease is associated with preterm delivery, low birth weight, gestational diabetes and preeclampsia.
- Periodontitis is a risk factor for several systemic diseases.