New classification of periodontal diseases (NCPD): an application in a sub-Saharan country

To determine the clinical and radiological profile of periodontitis according to the 2018 NCPD, in a Dakar (Senegal) based periodontal clinic.

This is a descriptive study based on patient's records in the periodontology clinic. The study was conducted between November 2018 and February 2020 (15 months). All periodontitis cases were included in the study. Incomplete records (due to lack of radiographic workup or unusable periodontal charting) were excluded. Periodontitis diagnosis was established based on criteria used in the 2018 NCPD. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS version 20.0, with the significance threshold set at 0.05.

A total number of 517 patient records were collected during the study period but only 127 periodontitis records were complete. The mean age of participants was 46.8 ± 13.8 years and 63.8% of participants were males. The mean plaque index and bleeding on probing (BOP) were 74% ± 21.3 and 58.1% ± 25.1, respectively. The mean maximum clinical attachment loss was 8.7 mm ±2.7, with a probing depth greater than 6 mm present in 50.4% of the sample. The median number of missing teeth was 3 (interquartile range 5-1). Pathological mobility was present in 60.6% of the patients and 78.0% had occlusion problems. Bone crest defect at the most affected site was moderate in 52.8% of cases. The ratio of bone loss to age greater than one concerned 66.1% of the sample. Generalised (81.9%), Stage IV (70.1%) and grade C (69.3%) were the most encountered diagnosis. The disease severity was associated with age (r = 0.241; P < 0.001), BOP (r = 0.230; P = 0.013) and the number of teeth with pathological mobility (r = 0.318; P < 0.001).

Patients with periodontitis in this study had advanced forms of the disease and required multidisciplinary care. Clinical hindsight is necessary to improve this classification.