Bleeding on probing (BOP) is a widely used criterion to diagnose gingival inflammation. The purpose of the present retrospective study was to evaluate its prognostic value in identifying sites at risk for periodontal breakdown during the maintenance phase of periodontal therapy. 55 patients who had been treated for advanced periodontitis participated in a recall system for at least 4 years, at regular intervals of 3-5 months. At the start of every appointment, BOP to the bottom of the pocket was registered at 4 sites of every tooth. A random selection of 1054 pockets was made and subdivided into 5 categories according to the incidence of BOP during the last 4 recall appointments. All pockets with a BOP incidence of 4/4 and 3/4 were selected, while only interproximal sites with a BOP incidence of 2/4, 1/4 and 0/4 were chosen. Subsequently, these categories were grouped according to whether or not the attachment level had been maintained from the time prior to the last 4 recall visits. Greater than or equal to 2 mm was defined as loss of clinical attachment. The results indicated that pockets with a probing depth of greater than or equal to 5 mm had a significantly higher incidence of BOP. Patients with 16% or more BOP sites had a higher chance of loosing attachment. Pockets with an incidence of BOP of 4/4 had a 30% chance of loosing attachment. This chance decreased to 14% with BOP of 3/4, 6% with BOP of 2/4, 3% with BOP of 1/4 and 1.5% with BOP of 0/4.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Lang NP, Adler R, Joss A and Nyman S. Absence of bleeding on probing -An indicator of periodontal stability. J Clin Periodontol 1990; 17: 714-721. Abstract. Following active periodontal therapy, 41 patients were incorporated in a maintenance program for 2 1/2 years with recall intervals varying between 2-6 months. At the beginning of each maintenance visit, the periodontal tissues were evaluated using "bleeding on probing" (BOP). Reinstrumentation was only performed at sites which bled on probing. However, supragingival plaque and calculus was always removed. Pocket probing depths and probing attachment levels were recorded after active treatment and at the conclusion of the study. Progression of periodontal disease was defined by an observed loss of probing attachment of >2 mm. The reliability of the BOP test as a predictor was evaluated by calculating sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and positive and negative predictive values. While only a 29% sensitivity was calculated for frequent bleeding, the specificity was 88%. The fact that the positive predictive value for disease progression was only 6% and the negative predictive value was 98% renders continuous absence of BOP a reliable predictor for the maintenance of periodontal health.

Following active periodontal therapy, 41 patients were incorporated in a maintenance program for 2 1/2 years with recall intervals varying between 2-6 months. At the beginning of each maintenance visit, the periodontal tissues were evaluated using "bleeding on probing" (BOP). Reinstrumentation was only performed at sites which bled on probing. However, supragingival plaque and calculus was always removed. Pocket probing depths and probing attachment levels were recorded after active treatment and at the conclusion of the study. Progression of periodontal disease was defined by an observed loss of probing attachment of greater than or equal to 2 mm. The reliability of the BOP test as a predictor was evaluated by calculating sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and positive and negative predictive values. While only a 29% sensitivity was calculated for frequent bleeding, the specificity was 88%. The fact that the positive predictive value for disease progression was only 6% and the negative predictive value was 98% renders continuous absence of BOP a reliable predictor for the maintenance of periodontal health.

The implant sites revealed a substantial, clinically significant improvement following coronal mucosal displacement in combination with connective tissue grafting, but in none of the sites, a could complete implant soft tissue dehiscence coverage be achieved.

The present study is a follow-up report on the use of bleeding on probing (BOP) as a clinical indicator for disease progression or periodontal stability, respectively. Following active periodontal therapy, 39 patients were incorporated in a program of supportive periodontal therapy for a period of 53 months with recall intervals varying between 2-8 months. The patients received supportive therapy 7 to 14 x. At the beginning of each maintenance visit, the tissues were evaluated using BOP. Reinstrumentation was only performed at sites which bled on probing. However, supragingival plaque and calculus were always removed. Probing depth and probing attachment levels were determined after active treatment and at the conclusion of the study. Progression of periodontal disease was defined by a measured loss of probing attachment of 2 mm or more. During the observation period, 4.2% of all the sites lost attachment. Approximately 50% of these losses were due to periodontal disease progression, while the other half was the result of attachment loss in conjunction with recession of the gingiva. 2/3 of all the sites which lost attachment were found in a group of patients which presented a mean BOP > or = 30%. In a group of patients with a mean BOP of < or = 20%, only 1/5 of the loser sites were found. This clearly indicated, that patients with a mean BOP of < or = 20% have a significantly lower risk for further loss of probing attachment at single sites.

The aim of this prospective study was to document radiographically tissue remodeling patterns around ITI implants placed according to an osteotome technique. In 19 consecutive patients from a private practice, 25 implants of the ITI Dental Implant System were placed subjacent to the sinus floor. Implant beds were pre-prepared with pilot drills and/or using the Summers Osteotome Kit. Bio Oss particles were mixed with autologous bone and inserted into the apex area. Implants were placed self-tapping. The sinus floors were thereby pushed up with attempts not to sever the Schneiderian membrane. Healing occurred submerged or semi-submerged and was uneventful in 24/25 implants. At 1 year, all implants had been restored with crowns or short fixed partial dentures. One implant was lost in the first 3 weeks, but was replaced 6 months later in a second attempt. Intraoral radiographs were obtained presurgically and postsurgically at 3 and 12 months. The mean preoperative distance between the sinus floor and the crest was 7.0 mm (range 2.3-10.3 mm). The mean distances between the implant apex and the initial sinus floor were: 3.66 +/- 1.74 mm mesially and 4.44 +/- 1.62 mm distally. The mean height of the new bone reaching apically and mesially to the implants was 1.52 +/- 2.48 mm at surgery, but was reduced significantly to 1.24 +/- 1.30 mm at 3 months and 0.29 +/- 1.91 mm after 12 months (Hotelling's test P< or =0.01). Similar values were obtained at the disto-apical aspects. In an attempt to assess periapical bone/graft remodeling, a novel index was applied: 0=no bone/graft visible, 1=cloudy appearance of new bone/graft, 2=clearly visible new bone/graft disappearing structures of original sinus floor, 3=new bone/graft with new cortical plate and the former boundary of the sinus floor disappearing. This index increased statistically significantly from baseline to 12 months (Hotelling's test P< or =0.02). In conclusion, this study shows that in areas with reduced bone height subjacent to the sinus, an osteotome technique may provide a minimally invasive way to obtain implant abutments predictably. The grafted area apical to the implants undergoes shrinkage and remodeling. The original boundary of the sinus is eventually consolidated and replaced by a new cortical plate. In addition to the linear measurements, the novel index may assist in assessing periapical remodeling at implants placed with an osteotome technique.

The aim of this study was to determine the threshold of tactile perception of endosseous dental implants and to assess the relative difference of that threshold between implants and teeth. Twenty-two subjects with implants of the ITI Dental Implant System were included in the study. All implants served as abutments for single tooth crowns and had been in function for a minimum of 1 year. A strain gauge glued to the shaft of an amalgam plugger served as a force sensor. It transformed the elastic deformation exerted onto the shaft into an electronic signal for recording. By use of the amalgam plugger, a continuously increasing force was exercised on the implants or teeth until the first sensation of touch was indicated by the patient. Statistical analysis revealed threshold values for the implants ranging from 13.2 to 189.4 g (1 g = 0.01 N) (mean 100.6; SD 47.7), while a range of 1.2 to 26.2 g (mean 11.5; SD 11.5) was found for control teeth. Thus, the mean threshold values for implants were 8.75 times higher than for teeth. This difference was highly statistically significant. A general linear models procedure was applied to determine the influence of patient age, jaw, implant position and the threshold values of teeth on the measurements obtained for implants. Only gender and the threshold values for contralateral teeth had a significant influence. These 2 parameters together explained 27% of the variability in threshold measurements. It is concluded that a more than 8-fold higher threshold value for tactile perception exists for implants compared with teeth.

The present study was designed to determine the threshold pressure value to be applied in provoking bleeding on probing (BOP) in clinically healthy gingival units. 12 female dental hygiene students volunteered for the study. They were selected on the basis of excellent oral hygiene standards, absence of probing depths greater than 3 mm and absence of caries or dental restorations on smooth and proximal tooth surfaces. Applying a probing force of 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0 N in one of the 4 jaw quadrants, respectively, on 2 different occasions with an interval of 10 days, bleeding on probing was assessed. Oral hygiene and gingival conditions were determined using the criteria of the plaque control record and the gingival index. On the basis of the BOP values, obtained using the lowest probing force (0.25 N), the subjects were divided into 2 groups: group 1 ("minimal BOP" value) consisted of 6 subjects yielding practically no bleeding (mean BOP = 0.9%) at both examinations, while the subjects of group 2 ("low BOP" value) had slightly higher BOP% (mean BOP = 13.4%). Both groups showed significant increase in mean BOP% with increasing probing force (0.9%-36.1% in group 1 and 13.4%-47.0% in group 2). Regression analysis revealed an almost linear correlation and a high correlation coefficient between BOP% and probing force. The comparison of the regression lines of the 2 groups showed almost identical slope inclination. However, slight differences in slope inclination were found for different sites: approximal sites clearly yielded steeper regression lines than buccal/oral sites.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)