Evaluation of the Prevalence and Correlation of Periodontal Bone Status with Associated Risk Factors – A Retrospective Radiographic Study

Introduction: Radiographic assessment of periodontal bone status is a beneficial diagnostic aid to clinical periodontal examination and may be used in screening of periodontitis caused by interplays between periodontopathogenic bacteria and host's immune response inflicted by risk factors.This study intended to assess the prevalence and correlation of periodontal bone status with associated risk factors.Methods: This retrospective study used the records of patients attended in 2019.Recorded data, such as age, gender, smoking, oral hygiene status and systemic condition, were obtained without including any identifying information.Periodontal bone status was assessed by measuring the proportion of total bone height to the total root length in panoramic radiographs.Data were arranged in tables, and statistically analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient.Results: Of the total 2,610 patients' panoramic radiographs, 1521 (58.3%) showed periodontal bone loss, while 1089 (41.7%) showed healthy periodontium without periodontal bone loss.The frequency of patients with healthy periodontium was statistically greater in those with good oral hygiene, non-smokers and those without associated systemic diseases.Furthermore, the frequency of patients with mild-to-moderate periodontitis and those with severe periodontitis was statistically greater in smokers, those with associated systemic disease, and those with fair and poor oral hygiene. Conclusion:A significant positive correlation exists between periodontal bone loss and smoking, fair-to-poor oral hygiene and associated systemic diseases.Radiographic assessment of periodontal bone loss is a rapid and accessible tool in periodontitis screening studies.