The purpose of this study was to evaluate the changes of interproximal bone density by means of videodensitometer and to examine the clinical applicability of videodentitometer to assess the periodontal disease activity:
Twelve interproximal sites, with periodontal pockets deeper than 5mm and vertical Loss of bone on standard dental radiograph, were treated by subgingival curettage. The papilla bleeding index, the plaque index, the degree of mobility, the depth of pockets, and the level of attachment were measured. Standardized reproducible radiographs were taken by using the occlusal stent with parallelling film holder. The density of the interdental bone was measured on the radiographs by a videodensitometer at three levels : the most ´superficial´ level; the ´deep´ level, arbitrarily 1.5mm below; and the `apical´ level, where no bony changes were to be expected. The clinical parameter and the radiographical change were measured at initial, and 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after treatment.
The results were as follows
1. The papilla bleeding index and the degree of mobility decreased significantly until 3 months after subgingival curettage and showed the same level in the remaining experimental periods.
2. The pocket depth mainly decreased due to the gingival recession until 1 month after treatment, but to the attachment gain after 1 month.
3. The density of the interdental bone did not show a significance increase until 1 month after treatment, but showed a steady increase throughout the 6 months of observation.
4. The close relationships were shown between the decrease in pocket depth and the gain of attachment and the improvement of bone density at 6 months after treatment.
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