Correlation of periodontal probe penetration and degree of inflammation

This histological study correlated the depth of probe penetration to periodontal health in mongrel dogs. Various probing forces were also applied with an electronic pressure-sensitive probe and compared to manual probing. Three adult mongrel dogs with naturally occurring periodontitis in at least one quadrant were selected and gross scaling was only performed in these diseased areas. Mild gingivitis was diagnosed in other areas. One half was scaled and placed on a plaque control regimen to restore clinical health, while the other half remained untreated to maintain the existing gingivitis. The Gingival Index (GI) was recorded on 24 teeth achieving equal representation of different GI values. Probe tips were inserted utilizing manual pressure as well pressures of 15 and 25 gm directed with an electronic pressure-sensitive probe. The probes were bonded to the teeth, and the specimens were sacrificed. Blocks with the probes in place were fixed and decalcified. The probes were removed prior to processing. Sections from each probing site were microscopically analyzed, and the distance was recorded from the tip of the probe to the apical termination of the junctional epithelium (ATJE). The number of inflammatory cells was documented for two fields at x200, one coronal (X) and one apical (Y) to the penetration of the probe's tip. The data were analyzed by two-sample t-test and Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient. A strong correlation was established between probe penetration and degree of inflammation, X (r = 0.6936) and Y (r = 0.7075). The difference in mean inflammation scores between probes coronal or apical to the epithelium was highly significant (P less than 0.001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)