Current interpretations of periodontal probing evaluations: diagnostic and therapeutic implications

Probing depth assessments are the backbone of a periodontal evaluation. However, they should be interpreted with respect to current information regarding their diagnostic and therapeutic implications. Controlled clinical trials and review papers that related probing depth determinations to diagnosing periodontal disease or assessments of therapy were selected for evaluation. The literature indicates that increased probing depths usually are related to loss of clinical attachment; however, they may not reflect periodontal disease or disease progression. When characteristics pertaining to deep and shallow sites are compared, deep sites have more bleeding on probing, elevated bacterial levels, reduced ability of oral hygiene to alter subgingival microflora, less effective root instrumentation, and a greater percentage of pockets that experience disease progression in treated and untreated sites. However, individual deep sites are not good predictors of disease progression. The preponderance of information indicates that it is preferable, but not always essential, to have shallow sites around teeth to attain and maintain periodontal health. Ultimately, therapeutic decisions based on probing depths are influenced by the medical and dental history of the patient, a practical interpretation of the literature, and clinical experience.