title: In vitro determination of the forceps level for extraction of teeth for periodontal reasons.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to validate dentists' periodontal reasons for extraction by comparison with the in vitro periodontal status of extracted teeth. A national systematic random sample of Norwegian dentists (n = 500) was requested to record primary, secondary and tertiary reasons for tooth extraction for a period of 2 weeks in 1988. The response rate was 70%. The extracted permanent teeth from the first 2 patients of each dentist were collected. Of the 365 teeth, 329 satisfied the criteria for assessment of periodontal attachment after staining. Using a dissecting microscope (10x), 4 to 8 linear measurements were recorded per tooth. 159 of the 329 teeth had loss of periodontal support. Of the 93 teeth for which the dentists' reason for extraction included periodontal considerations, 1% had 1-10% loss of attachment, 59% had 11-50% loss and 40% had 51-76% loss of periodontal support. There was a significant correlation between in vitro measurements of attachment loss and a ranking of teeth on a scale from 1 to 3 based on the dentists' emphasis on periodontal reasons for extraction (The Spearman Rs = 0.29, p < 0.01). The results suggest that the forceps level for removal of teeth for periodontal reasons was set at a relatively early stage of the disease process by Norwegian dentists, and that there was a weak association between attachment loss and the dentists' emphasis on periodontal reasons for extraction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Dentistry, University of Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Klock
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Haugejorden
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D004245:DMF Index; D003815:Dentists; D006801:Humans; D007180:Incisor / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D008963:Molar / Q000473:pathology; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D010512:Periodontal Index; D010514:Periodontal Pocket / Q000473:pathology*; D010519:Periodontium / Q000473:pathology; D014081:Tooth Extraction; D014092:Tooth Root / Q000473:pathology