Periodontal Risk Assessment (PRA) for Patients in Supportive Periodontal Therapy (SPT)

The subject risk assessment may estimate the risk for susceptibility for progression of periodontal disease. It consists of an assessment of the level of infection (full mouth bleeding scores), the prevalence of residual periodontal pockets, tooth loss, an estimation of the loss of periodontal support in relation to the patient's age, an evaluation of the systemic conditions of the patient and finally, an evaluation of environmental and behavioral factors such as smoking. All these factors should be contemplated and evaluated together. A functional diagram may help the clinician in determining the risk for disease progression on the subject level. This may be useful in customizing the frequency and content of SPT visits. Keywords: periodontitis, maintenance, recurrent periodontitis, risk assessment, risk evaluation, periodontal infection, reinfection, bleeding on probing, residual pockets, bone loss, smoking