Perceived risk of deteriorating periodontal conditions

Background: Interpretation of risk for periodontitis is critical for treatment planning. How periodontists assess risk for periodontitis is unclear. Purpose: To study (1) what factors periodontists use when assessing the risks for worsening periodontal conditions anticipating that no treatment would be provided, and (2) if risk assessment is consistent and independent of specialty background training. Material and Methods: Medical history, clinical dental data, full‐mouth intra‐oral radiographs, and slide pictures were obtained from each of 51 subjects, and the information was provided to 23 examiners. Results: The mean age of the study subjects was 51.5 years (SD±17.7, range 23–81), with 28 women included. In 10 of the subjects, only gingivitis was identified, while 22 subjects had advanced chronic periodontitis. Risk scores assigned for 2 and 4 years differed significantly between European‐ and US‐trained periodontists (p