The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between periodontitis and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Eighty one postmenopausal women with chronic periodontitis who agreed to participate in this study were divided into 2 groups, based on the radiographic analysis of the degree of bone atrophy of the lumbar spine : 26 subjects without bone atrophy (Group N, mean age 58.4±6.1) and 55 subjects with bone atrophy (Group A, mean age 59.4±6.8). Periodontal parameters included the number of teeth present, probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), the percentage of bleeding on probing (BOP) and alveolar bone loss (ABL). The odds ratio (OR) of periodontal parameters in relation to Group A was calculated. Percentages of sites with PD≥7 mm and CAL≥7 mm in group A were significantly higher than those in group N (p<0.05). The age-adjusted OR of PD, percentages of sites with PD≥4 mm and BOP to bone atrophy of the lumbar spine were 3.1 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1—8.7), 3.0 (95%CI 1.0—8.7), 3.1 (95%CI 1.1—9.3), respectively. Within the limit of these results, the severity of periodontal disease in postmenopausal women correlates with the bone atrophy of the lumbar spine, and we should pay attention to the potential presence of osteoporosis when treating postmenopausal women with chronic periodontitis.

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Periodontal disease is an infectious disease caused by putative periodontal pathogens. Tooth-brushing and scaling and root planing (SRP) are effective and important therapies for elimination of these bacteria. SRP plays an important role in subgingival plaque control. However, since SRP is usually performed several times in a quadrant-wise or sextant-wise manner, periodontal disease-related bacteria can recolonize the treated areas from other untreated areas, and bacterial reinfection may occur in the treated sites. It might be possible that this phenomenon induces a relapse of periodontal disease.
We therefore tried one-stage full-mouth SRP, in order to control the number of bacteria, and administered azithromycin orally as an antibacterial before SRP to maintain the optimal drug concentration. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of one-stage full-mouth SRP with conventional SRP up to three months after SRP in terms of clinical parameters (PD, GI, BOP and GCF), the total number of bacteria and the number of black pigment production rods (BPRs).
Thirty subjects with severe chronic periodontitis were selected. Fifteen subjects received one-stage full-mouth SRP (test group) and fifteen received conventional SRP (control group). The subjects of the test group were given and azithromycin 3 days before full-mouth SRP.
The test group showed greater improvement in all clinical parameters than the control group. The total number of bacteria remained unchanged during the examination period. In the test group, BPRs could not be detected in this period. However, BPRs were still detectable in the control group after 3 months. It was demonstrated that a one-stage full-mouth SRP in conjunction with systemically administrated azithromycin was very effective clinically and microbiologically.

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The periodontal examinations were performed over a period of 3 years, for high school students (15—17 years old) in Kagoshima prefecture, to evaluate (i) the periodontal status of the students, (ii) the efficacy of the intervention protocols consisting of appreciation of the results of the examination, oral hygiene instruction and advise given, and (iii) the appropriate periodontal examination methods in the school oral examination. Some periodontal examinations were continually measured for 156, 135, and 118 students in 2002, 2003, and 2004, respectively. In years 2003 and 2004, all students were given a report regarding the results of the periodontal examination, and the students who needed to have a closer examination and periodontal treatments were advised to visit their dental clinic. It was demonstrated that plaque and gingivitis were common findings among the students in the selected school, and there were 15 and 18 students who needed a closer examination for destructive periodontal diseases in 2003 and 2004, respectively. Significant decreases in the plaque index (from 0.95 to 0.50), gingival index (from 0.67 to 0.50), and probing pocket depth (from 2.31mm to 2.14 mm) occurred between 2003 and 2004. It would be possible to improve the periodontal status in high school students by providing them with an intervention protocol. The significant correlations between the community periodontal index (CPI) and other periodontal indeces were found in this study (correlation values ; 0.264-0.636). These data suggest that CPI measurements could be a candidate for rapid and quick methods for periodontal examinations as part of the oral examination in the school setting.

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Localized aggressive periodontitis is a rare condition characterized by rapid periodontal destruction around the first molars and incisors in systemically healthy individuals with little or no accumulation of visible plaque and/or calculus. This report describes a patient diagnosed as having localized aggressive periodontitis treated with several periodontal regeneration techniques. A 20-year-old female presented with clinical and radiographic evidence of severe attachment loss around the first molars, incisors, and right upper first premolar. Porphyromonas gingivalis, Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, and Tannerella forsythensis were detected from the subgingival microflora using the multiplex polymerase chain reaction method. The periodontal surgical procedures consisted of autogenous bone graft alone, guided tissue regeneration technique, and autogenous bone graft combined with enamel matrix derivative or platelet-rich plasma. Those procedures resulted in 2-4 mm of clinical attachment gain with minimal postoperative gingival recession. Two-year follow-up revealed that the destructive lesions were successfully treated.

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The aim of this study was to investigate the smoking habits and attitudes of council members of the Japanese Society of Periodontology, a non-profit organization. The questionnaire was mailed to 231 council members, all of whom are dentists. Sixty-three percent (145) of the surveys were completed and returned. Seventy-four percent of the surveys were completed by council members in their 40s and 50s. Sixty-eight percent of the council members were university staff, 25% were practitioners, 4% were dental office employees, and 3% worked in other dental related fields. Thirteen percent of the council members claimed that they are current smokers, 39% claimed they are former smokers, and 48% claimed they have never smoked. Ninety percent of the council members replied that a nicotine addiction is detrimental to health. Most of them understood that smoking is the primary cause of many diseases, while 94% understood the detrimental consequences of smoking with regard to periodontitis. More than 80% agreed that smoking cessation education is a dentist’s responsibility. Notably, 43% felt that they did not have enough knowledge pertaining to smoking cessation education. A majority (79%) agreed that periodontists should be required to be non-smokers. About half of the clinicians responded that they are aware of their patients’smoking habits. Those clinicians who were aware of patient smoking habits had acquired the information during the patient’s first visit. Eighty percent indicated that many patients who have serious periodontitis are smokers, and 88% stated that smokers do not heal well.
The above results indicate that smoking is recognized as having a detrimental effect on periodontitis by the group from whom responses were received, and that the current smoking rate is relatively low.
Furthermore, they recognize the need for providing smoking cessation guidance to periodontitis patients, suggesting also that peridontists may lack sufficient knowledge in order to educate their patients.

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