Why is a bacterial assessment not used to assess risk?
No method has been accepted where clinicians can accurately correlate the results of bacteriologic testing with disease progression. It is recognised that almost 50% of periodontal bacteria cannot be cultured and pathogens are found at healthy sites and are sometimes absent from diseased sites. Furthermore, bacteriologic testing is not routinely performed by clinicians. Surrogate measures of bacteria, which include pocket depth, furcation involvements, subgingival calculus and oral hygiene, are part of the risk assessment input data.
