Critical issues in periodontal research

The purpose of this paper is to highlight briefly the major achievements and the remaining critical issues in the areas of epidemiology, microbiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and therapy. Periodontitis affects a relatively small proportion of study populations in the United States and other countries. Prevalence may be decreasing, but that remains to be seen. The identity and characteristics of susceptible individuals and groups are not known, and risk indicators for severe disease are only beginning to be identified. A very large number of different microbial species has been implicated in the etiology. It seems unlikely that all of these are essential participants. Essential participants need to be identified and better characterized. Whether putative pathogens are members of the commensal flora or exogenous species that must be transmitted is unclear. The relationship between the presence of a pathogenic flora and disease status is obscure. Pathogenic bacterial species are essential, but insufficient to cause disease. A susceptible host and local environmental factors--for example, elevated iron concentration--may be necessary for disease to occur. Many clonal types may not be virulent, and numbers greater than certain threshold levels appear to be necessary. The pathways by which bone and connective tissues of the periodontium are destroyed are sufficiently understood to permit development of therapies aimed at their modification. Examples are the use of vaccines, topical application of anti-inflammatory drugs, and use of chemically modified tetracyclines.