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VIII.104 - Periodontal Disease (Pyorrhea)

from Part VIII - Major Human Diseases Past and Present

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2008

Kenneth F. Kiple
Affiliation:
Bowling Green State University, Ohio
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Summary

The word “pyorrhea” comes from the Greek pyon (“pus”) and rhoia (“to flow”). Thus the definition is a graphic description of the disease in which there is an outflowing of pus from the gingival (gum) tissues of the oral cavity. The term “pyorrhea” has been used in Europe since the mid-1500s and in America since the late 1800s. However, it was not until 1937 that the American Academy of Periodontology abandoned the term in favor of “periodontal disease.”

The term “periodontal disease” is used in reference to any disease of the supporting structures of the teeth. These structures include the gingiva, periodontal ligament, and alveolar bone. In simplest terms, periodontal disease can be divided into two distinct, but not mutually exclusive, disease processes. The first involves inflammation of the gingival tissues, called “gingivitis,” and the second, a destructive loss of bone and connective tissue attachment termed “periodontitis.”

Distribution, Incidence, and Epidemiology

Epidemiological research during the past 25 years indicates that periodontal disease is one of the most common diseases affecting humankind. There is a direct cause-and-effect relationship between the bacterial colonization on the surface of the tooth and the inflammation (and often consequential destruction) of the tooth’s supporting structures. The rate of destruction varies, and is dependent on the individual’s response to the bacterial irritation.

Periodontal disease is a widespread chronic disease and remains as the primary reason for the loss of teeth in the adult population throughout the world. In fact, virtually all individuals in any population exhibit manifestations of the disease.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1993

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References

Douglass, Chester, et al. 1983. National trends in the prevalence and severity of the periodontal diseases. Journal of the American Dental Association 3.Google Scholar
Dummett, Clifton O. 1983. Epidemiology of periodontal disease: A review. Military Medicine 7.Google Scholar
Genco, Robert 1984. Pathogenesis of periodontal disease: New concepts. Journal of the Canadian Dental Association 5.Google Scholar
Goldman, Henry. 1986. Periodontal disease (Parts I through V). Compendium of Continuing Education 7.Google Scholar
Imberman, Michael, and Wilson, Susan. 1985. Current trends in periodontal diagnosis. CDA Journal 13.Google ScholarPubMed
Lindhe, Jan. 1983. Textbook of clinical periodontology. Munksgaard.Google Scholar
Ramirez, Juan, and Stallard, Richard. 1970. A historical review of periodontology. Periodontal Abstracts 18.Google ScholarPubMed
Schonfeld, Steven, and Checchi, Luigi. 1985. Review of immunology for the periodontist. Journal of the Western Society of Periodontology 2.Google Scholar
Theilade, Else. 1986. The non–specific theory in microbial etiology of inflammatory periodontal diseases. Journal of Clinical Periodontology 13.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

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