Diagnosis of Periodontal Disease Essay Example for Free

Diagnosis of Periodontal Disease Essay Periodontal disease is a disease that affects the gums which causes them not to hold on to the teeth as tight as is normal. The teeth are therefore detached from the jawbone as it (Dr. Pohlhaus, 2008). It has been found to be responsible for the majority of tooth loses among the adults especially if it stays unchecked over several years. The disease usually attack the tooth through a crevice referred to as sulcus that is found below the gum line. During the attack, the disease breaks down the attachment of the tissues with the tooth and this result into a pocket whose depth depends on the severity of the attack. There are two main categories of the periodontal diseases; the gingivitis, which is a milder form of the periodontal diseases and is usually reversible. The other category is the periodontists (http://www. ada. org/public/topics/periodontal_diseases. asp). The major difference between the two is that the latter affects only the connecting tissues and the bone while the former affects the gum and the bones without any interference whatsoever with the connective tissues. Periodontal disease is caused by a bacterium called plaque which attaches on the teeth surface. They produce some toxins the affect both the gums and its supporting tissues. If left for periods of up to two days, it hardens into a substance called tartar which then causes infection and inflammation of the gums, that is usually painless and can easily go unnoticed (http://www. emedicinehealth. com/periodontal_gum_disease/page2_em. htm# Periodontal%20(Gum)%20Disease%20Causes). Methods of Diagnosis of Periodontal Disease and their Impact During the diagnosis of periodontal disease, the qualified doctors do look at different parameters and are guided by some simple basic steps: He/She first seeks to know the medical history of the patient so as to know any present or past problems associated with the disease or any underlying infections that might be the contributing factor to the disease, and if the patient is under any medications. The doctor may also opt to inquire about the general home dental care quality. The doctor then proceeds to the part of physical examination where he inspects the gum for any abnormalities like redness and puffiness. This is then followed with periodic screening and recording, otherwise referred to as PSR, which helps to ascertain the severity of the infection after which the teeth movement is observed. Any movement shows loss of bone support. Finally, x-rays are carried out so as to see the structure of the bone supporting the teeth. In the modern times however, technological advances has not left behind the medical practitioners. The developments that have been experienced in the dental radiography have been on conventional radiography transmission that narrows down to the capture, enhancement, and analyses of images. This stands to correct the errors that were being committed by the human beings by their visual perception. These technologies therefore help in the improvement of the diagnosis, enhance the treatment procedures as well as streamlining of the transfer, storage and the retrieval of information. They also help provide backup to the data of the patient in case any unforeseen catastrophe like fire occurs. Over the years, focus has shifted to the use of subtraction radiography which helps to recognize any slight differences in terms of the densities and volumes of the bones over a period of time (Grondahl and Grondahl, 1983). This has been made possible due to the available digital imaging technology (Grondahl et al, 1983). When using this technology and for the results not to show any differences in the registration, the projection geometries need to be identical. Methods have also been developed that aim at reconstructing the images that do posses arbitrary geometric projections into projection geometry of the reference image (Dunn and Van der Stelt, 1992; Ruttimann et al, 1986; and Van der Stelt et al, 1989). Also, in hi report, they reported that some measurements of up to 16 mm translation errors with 160 angulation’s errors. It thus looked promising for the creation of important image pairs to be used in the subtractions radiology. Also, in 1986, Webber and Ohki et al (1988) found out about the use of software based, otherwise called â€Å"digital gamma correction†, as a corrective measure to the gray level image distribution which was a one major disadvantage of the subtraction radiography. Further improvement in technology helped make it possible to detect any changes in the density of the bones: using a calibration wedge whose attenuation properties are known, the density differences that are measured are changed into estimation volumes differences. Either hydroxyapatite or aluminum is used in this case due to the fact that their radiation attenuation positively compares to that of the bones in characteristics. When these anatomical abnormalities and other details as expressed on the radiographic images can be shown mathematically, then one can easily develop the computer algorithms which then will be able to automatically interpret the radiographs (Ruttimann et al.. , 1985; Van der Stelt et al.. , 1985; Benn, 1991). These procedures that are performed by the computers may be of great value to the medical practitioners in making their decisions since they add extra information to the assessment of the practitioners (Van der Stelt and Geraets, 1991).