[Significance and evaluation of gingival and bony pockets]

The reproducibility of measurements of gingival pocket depth was tested on a total of 200 patients and assessed by statistical analysis. Significantly differing values were observed only in the region of the upper molars, whereas consistent values were found in all the other regions. The measurement of pocket depth is an easy-to-determine reproducible parameter in periodontal diagnostics. A gross information about the presence and depth of intrabony pockets cannot be obtained from clinical values for pocket depth.