Some thoughts on the measurement of gingivitis

The selection of a method for measurement is of critical importance in the planning of a study. Despite the great strides afforded by research of gingivitis, a "gold standard" for its measurement has yet to be clearly established. Traditional clinical indices continue to serve as "gold standards" in many investigations. There is a need for some caution and tentativity in interpreting the results of such studies. Additionally, those studies which yield data on an ordinal scale should make more use of statistical methodologies specifically geared toward the analysis of such data.