Synonyms
Inflammation of the periodontium, apical periodontitis, marginal periodontitis, erroneously: periodontal disease (outdated)
Definition
The term periodontitis in dental terminology refers to the spread of inflammatory processes within the periodontium. The gums, tooth cement, jaw bone and the fibrous suspension of the tooth in its compartment can be affected.
General information
Periodontitis is one of the most common diseases. Approximately every second to third person suffers at least once during his or her life from inflammatory processes affecting the gums (gingiva) or other parts of the periodontium. In dentistry, there are two types of periodontitis, the so-called apical (starting from the tip of the tooth root) and the marginal (starting from the edge of the gums) periodontitis.
However, the two types cannot be completely separated from each other, because in many cases they can merge into each other. The main cause of periodontal disease originating at the tip of the tooth root (apex) is the transfer of pathogens and/or inflammatory factors from a tooth that is dead on the market to the structures of the periodontium. The so-called marginal periodontitis is caused in the majority of observed cases by the sinking of plaque below the gumline.
Causes of periodontitis
A lack of oral hygiene or simply not very thorough oral hygiene can cause lasting damage to the tooth substance. The consequence is primarily the formation of soft plaque, which settles on the surface of the tooth substance and hardens over time to form solid tartar. These deposits are composed of both food residues and waste products of bacterial metabolism.
If the plaque is not removed over a long period of time, carious defects may be the primary cause. Furthermore, there is the danger of the plaque sinking into areas below the gumline. The consequence is the formation of deep gum pockets.
Further bacteria and/or other pathogens can migrate into these pockets and multiply there. The bacteria also produce waste products at this point, which have a damaging effect on the tooth root and gums. The result is usually the development of inflammatory processes with immigration of various blood cells (especially leukocytes) and the formation of specific inflammatory factors.
If this periodontitis is not treated appropriately, the inflammatory processes inevitably spread and eventually affect other structures of the periodontium. A (mostly bacterial) periodontitis develops. The majority of the population is much more familiar with the term “periodontosis”, which describes exactly the disease just described. However, this name is completely wrong from a dental point of view, because inflammatory diseases generally end in “-itis”, whereas the word periodontosis means a decrease in the components of the periodontium without the presence of any inflammatory processes.
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