Self-report assessment of severe periodontitis: Periodontal screening score development

To derive from a validated questionnaire a periodontal screening score (PESS), intended as a user-friendly tool to identify individuals at risk of periodontitis in epidemiological studies.

A French 12-item self-reported questionnaire was developed by translating English questions previously used for periodontitis screening and surveillance. After a cognitive evaluation, the questionnaire was validated in a sample of 232 individuals (mean age: 46.1 ± 12.6 years) receiving full-mouth periodontal examination, including probing pocket depth and clinical attachment level recordings. Case definition was based on the American Academy of Periodontology/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria. Logistic regression analyses and C-statistics were used to assess the validity and accuracy of the questionnaire and to develop the PESS.

The sample was constituted of 109 individuals with severe periodontitis, who were compared with 123 individuals with no/moderate periodontitis. The questionnaire had moderate-to-high accuracy in identifying severe cases; the PESS (calculated on five self-report items, age, and smoking) showed a sensitivity of 78.9% and a specificity of 74.8%, with an area under the receiver operating characteristics curve of 0.821.

The PESS represents a valuable and accurate tool to screen for severe periodontitis at the population level.