periodontal index

periodontal index,

a measure of an individual's periodontal condition. It is determined by adding scores based on the condition of the gingiva and dividing the sum by the number of teeth present. Individuals with clinically normal gingiva have an index of 0 to 0.2. The index reaches a maximum of 8.0 in persons with severe terminal destructive periodontitis.

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index,

n 1. the ratio of a measurable value to another.
2. a core or mold used to record or maintain the relative position of a tooth or teeth to one another or to a cast. See also splint.

index, Broders's (Broders's classification),

n.pr 1. a system of grading of epidermoid carcinoma suggested by Broders. Tumors are graded from I to IV on the basis of cell differentiation. Grade I tumors are highly differentiated, with much keratin production; Grade IV tumors are poorly differentiated; the cells are highly anaplastic, with almost no keratin formation.
n 2. the classification and grading of malignant neoplasms according to the proportion of malignant cells to normal cells in the lesion.

index, cardiac,

n the minute volume of blood per square meter of body surface.

index, carpal,

n the degree of ossification of the carpal bones noted in radiographs of the wrist; a method of determining the state of skeletal maturation.

index, cephalic,

n head shape and size.

Index, Dean's Fluorosis

n.pr the most commonly used system for classifying dental fluorosis. Ratings are assigned based on the most severe fluorosis seen on two or more teeth.

index, DEF (decayed, extracted, filled),

n.pr a dental caries index applied to the primary dentition in somewhat the same manner as the DMF index is used for classifying permanent teeth. Missing primary teeth are ignored in this index because of the uncertainty in determining whether they were extracted because of advanced caries or exfoliated normally.

index, DMF (decayed, missing, filled),

n.pr a technique for managing statistically the number of decayed, missing, or filled teeth in the oral cavity. Analysis may be based on the average number of DMF teeth (sometimes called DMFT) per person or the average number of DMF tooth surfaces (DMFS).

index, facial height,

n the ratio of posterior facial height to anterior facial height.

index, gingiva and bone count (Dunning-Leach index),

n an index that permits differential recording of both gingival and bone conditions to determine gingivitis and bone loss.

index, gingival (GI),

n an assessment tool used to evaluate a case of gingivitis based on visual inspection of the gingivae that takes into consideration the color and firmness of gingival tissue along with the presence of blood during probing.

index, gingival bleeding (GBI),

n an assessment tool used to verify the presence of gingival inflammation based on any bleeding that occurs at the gingival margin during or immediately after flossing.

index, gnathic,

n the relationship of jaw size to head size.

index, icterus,

n See test, Meulengracht's.

index, malocclusion,

n a measure of the severity of a malocclusion, obtained by assigning values to a series of defined observations.

index, measuring,

n an expression of relationship of one measurable value to another, or a formula based on measurable values.

index, missing teeth,

n See index, DMF.

index, oral hygiene, simplified (Greene-Vermillion index),

n an index made up of two components, the debris index and the calculus index, which are based on numerical determination representing the amount of debris or calculus found on six preselected tooth surfaces.

index, periodontal (Ramfjord index),

n a thorough clinical examination of the periodontal status of six teeth, with an evaluation of the gingival condition, pocket depth, calculus and plaque deposits, attrition, mobility, and lack of contact.

index, periodontal disease (Russell index),

n an index that measures the condition of both the gingiva and the bone individually for each tooth and arrives at the average status for periodontal disease in a given oral cavity.

index, plaque,

n an assessment tool used to evaluate the thickness of plaque at the gingival margin that may be applied to selected teeth or to the entire oral cavity.

index, PMA (Schour-Massler index),

n an index used for recording the prevalence and severity of gingivitis in schoolchildren by noting and scoring three areas: the gingival papillae (P), the buccal or labial gingival margin (M), and the attached gingiva (A).

index, Pont's,

n the relation of the width of the four incisors to the width between the first premolars and the width between the first molars.

index, Russell,

n.pr See index, periodontal disease.

index, salivary Lactobacillus

(lak´-tōbsil´s),
n a count of the lactobacilli per milliliter of saliva; used as an indicator of present dental caries activity. The test is of questionable value in individual patients, although its use in large groups has led to valuable information on caries ac-tivity.

index, saturation,

n a number indicating the hemoglobin content of a person's red blood cells as compared with the normal content.

index, sulcus bleeding,

n.pr an assessment tool used to evaluate the existence of gingival bleeding in individual teeth and/or regions of the oral cavity upon gentle probing by assigning a score of 0-5, with 0 indicating a healthy appearance and no bleeding.

index, therapeutic,

n the ratio of toxic dose to effective dose.

index, ventilation,

n the index obtained by dividing the ventilation test by the vital capacity.

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periodontal (per´ēōdon´tl),

adj relating to the periodontium.

periodontal abscess,

n a localized area of acute or chronic inflammation found in the gingival tissues, infrabony pockets, or periodontal ligament. If it is located at the apex of the tooth, it is known as a
periapical abscess. If located between the apex and the alveolar crest, it is known as a
lateral abscess.

periodontal atrophy,

n See atrophy, periodontal.

periodontal attachment loss,

n a reduction in the connective tissue attaching the root of the tooth to the alveolar bone, usually caused by persistent inflammation of the gingival and periodontal tissues.

periodontal disease,

n a group of inflammatory and infectious diseases affecting the periodontium of the teeth, with various classes noted.

periodontal disease, aggressive,

n marked by the early onset of periodontal disease that affects the gingiva and periodontal tissues. If untreated, it may result in loss of teeth.

periodontal dressing,

n a protective obtundent covering of the gingival and periodontal tissues used after periodontal surgery.

Aggressive periodontal disease.

periodontal index,

n a method for rating or ranking the severity of periodontal disease. An early index was the PMA, which ranked the number of
papillary,
marginal, and
attached gingiva affected by gingivitis. A more contemporary index is the Russell Periodontal Index (PI), which is based on a 0-to-8 score system: from negative to advanced destruction.

periodontal ligament,

n a system of collagenous connective tissue fibers that attaches the root of a tooth to its alveolus of bone by way of Sharpey's fibers. It contains blood vessels, lymph vessels, and nerves. The ligament consists of five groups of fibers: interdental, alveolar crestal, horizontal, oblique, and apical and possibly interradicular fibers if the tooth is multirooted.

periodontal pack,

n See pack, periodontal.

periodontal pocket,

n See pocket, periodontal.

periodontal probe,

n See probe, periodontal.

periodontal prosthesis,

n See prosthesis, periodontal.

Periodontal Screening and Recording (PSR),

n.pr a proprietary method of briefly examining all of a patient's teeth, and recording the highest score in each of six regions of the oral cavity (mid-, mesio-, and distofacial and corresponding lingual areas). The process utilizes a blunt-tipped probe instrument and is intended to take only 2 to 3 minutes.

periodontal therapy,

n See therapy, periodontal.

periodontal treatment planning,

n the sequential arrangement of therapeutic procedures required to obtain a healthy periodontium.