Beyond Bacteria

By Kristen M. Stephens, RDH, MS, JoAnn R. Gurenlian, RDH, MS, PhD

Dental hygienists encounter a variety of oral health beliefs and self-care behaviors, as well as different levels of periodontitis in their patient populations. Sometimes, despite thorough treatment planning and the provision of nonsurgical periodontal therapies, patients with chronic periodontitis fail to demonstrate the desired treatment outcomes. Researchers have been studying the factors that may contribute to unique periodontal cases in which bacteria alone cannot explain periodontal destruction. These cases include periodontal breakdown with minimal biofilm, periods of latency, site-specific breakdown, and advanced breakdown in only a fraction of the population.^1–8

* References can be found in the original article via the link below.
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