Periodontal Probing Depth Trajectory in 10 Years of Follow-Up as Associated With Tooth Loss

Abstract

Aim: To elucidate whether ranked probing depth (PD) data translate into ranked PD outcomes after 10 years of follow-up and the associated tooth loss.

Materials and methods: From the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-START), all participants were retrospectively included with complete PD measurements in both baseline and 10-year follow-up, comprising 1887 participants. The trajectory of percentile-based quintiles of mean PD measurements was followed.

Results: Quintiles of mean PD at baseline were, in a dose dependent manner, associated with the number of teeth at baseline, number of teeth after 10 years and involved risk of tooth loss. The trajectory of membership to individual PD quintiles indicated that the majority of participants remained in or near their baseline quintile after reaching the 10-year end analysis. Periodontal risk factors assessed at baseline continued to affect PD outcomes at follow-up. Two categories of tooth loss were identified: 1-2 teeth lost versus ≥ 3 teeth and differentiated by baseline PD.

Conclusion: PD severity ranked within this population translates, in a dose-dependent manner, to follow-up tooth loss even after many years. This underlines the prospective importance of pocket probing in the dental practice. Ranked PD offers a simple measure to identify patients at high risk of tooth loss.

Keywords: epidemiology; follow‐up study; periodontitis; probing depth; tooth loss.