The treatment of periodontal disease in the mixed dentition

Treatment of periodontal disease in children comprises: 1. Dental health education emphasizing the role of oral hygiene in the prevention of periodontal disease. Inter-dental cleaning procedures should be taught to children as early as possible. 2. Early diagnosis of disease. Severe gingivitis indicates a poor oral hygiene and proper treatment will be to teach the patient daily plaque control procedures. Early diagnosis of destructive periodontitis may be performed on bite-wing X-rays. 3. Removal of sub- and supragingival plaque and plaque retentive factors as calculus and overhanging margins of restorations. If necessary, periodontal surgery may be performed in order to get access to deep subgingival plaque. This may particularly be the case when treating juvenile periodontitis. 4. Establishment of a plaque control programme preferably performed by the individual patients. If required, professional toothcleaning at adequate intervals must be instituted in order to prevent recurrence of disease after treatment. 5. Establishment of a maintenance schedule for regular dental examination so that recurrence of the disease can be detected and dealt with as soon as possible.