Diagnosis of periodontal diseases using different classification algorithms: a preliminary study

The purpose of the proposed study was to develop an identification unit for classifying periodontal diseases using support vector machine (SVM), decision tree (DT), and artificial neural networks (ANNs).

A total of 150 patients was divided into two groups such as training (100) and testing (50). The codes created for risk factors, periodontal data, and radiographically bone loss were formed as a matrix structure and regarded as inputs for the classification unit. A total of six periodontal conditions was the outputs of the classification unit. The accuracy of the suggested methods was compared according to their resolution and working time.

DT and SVM were best to classify the periodontal diseases with a high accuracy according to the clinical research based on 150 patients. The performances of SVM and DT were found 98% with total computational time of 19.91 and 7.00 s, respectively. ANN had the worst correlation between input and output variable, and its performance was calculated as 46%.

SVM and DT appeared to be sufficiently complex to reflect all the factors associated with the periodontal status, simple enough to be understandable and practical as a decision-making aid for prediction of periodontal disease.