A supplement to the Journal of Periodontology reports on challenges in public health surveillance of periodontal diseases and focuses on the potential use of self-report measures...

Report on Alternative Approaches to Surveillance of Periodontitis

Journal of Periodontology supplement results from collaboration between AAP and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

CHICAGO—July 10, 2007—The American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) published a supplement to the July 2007 Journal of Periodontology (JOP) that is the result of a collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, and the AAP to examine the feasibility of using alternative non-clinical measures for population-based surveillance of periodontal diseases. Participants in this workgroup include representatives from the CDC and AAP, and other leading oral epidemiologists, statisticians, academicians and public health experts. The supplement is titled "Development of Self-Reported Measures for Population-Based Surveillance of Periodontitis." Supplement Table of Contents*

The supplement reports on the current challenges in public health surveillance of periodontal diseases, and focuses on the potential use of self-report measures for population-based surveillance. The efforts of this workgroup include identifying and assessing the validity of self-report measures for surveillance of periodontal diseases in multiple datasets, and field testing of promising questions in a national survey. Eleven papers are presented in this supplement, covering the following issues:

“The issue of periodontal surveillance has been important for both the AAP and the CDC,” explained William Giannobile, DDS, Associate Editor of the JOP. “These papers provide valuable information about the current status of periodontal surveillance and future directions on the monitoring of periodontal disease. With the use of new salivary proteomic and genomic biomarkers of disease and rapid identification procedures to classify patients, the future is sure to be exciting.”

“We are excited about this information,” said Preston D. Miller, DDS and AAP president. “Epidemiologists, dental researchers, clinicians, and the public are eager to assess the prevalence of periodontal disease in the U.S. population. The papers in this supplement highlight the diversity and complexity of the issue of periodontal surveillance.”

* EDITOR'S NOTE: Representatives of the media may contact the AAP Public Affairs Department to receive the full text of the JOP supplement. Abstracts of Journal of Periodontology articles are available to the public online. Full-text of studies may be accessed by AAP members and Journal subscribers or purchased online.

About the AAP

The American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) is is an 8,000-member professional organization for periodontists - specialists in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases affecting the gums and supporting structures of the teeth, and in the placement of dental implants. Periodontists are also dentistry’s experts in the treatment of oral inflammation and receive three additional years of specialized training following dental school. Periodontics is one of the nine dental specialties recognized by the American Dental Association.

Find out if you are at risk for periodontal diseases by taking the Academy’s risk assessment test. Referral to a periodontist in your area is available by calling 800-FLOSS-EM or visiting the AAP's website at www.perio.org.

For more information, contact the AAP Public Affairs Department at meg@perio.org or 312/573-3242.

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