title: New developments in tools for periodontal diagnosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  For decades there has been increasing focus on the development of clinically acceptable, more sensitive and specific methods for the accurate and non-invasive diagnosis and prognosis of periodontitis. There are several well-known inherent drawbacks to current clinical procedures. The purpose of this article is to summarise some of the newly emerging diagnostic approaches, namely: the ultrasonographic probe; cone-beam computed tomography; optical coherence tomography; optical spectroscopy, and proteome analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  These novel diagnostic tools complement one another and, together with conventional clinical and radiographic examination, are likely to provide more accurate methods of diagnosing periodontitis. However, these techniques are yet to be clinically validated and their potential interpreted.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For the clinician, the planning of therapy is probably the most critical and difficult step in the treatment of patients with periodontal disease. A new paradigm for periodontal diagnosis will certainly increase understanding of periodontal diseases, which may eventually optimise the predictability of treatment and improve the clinical management of patients with periodontal disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontics, KLE V. K. Institute of Dental Science, Karnataka Lingayat Education University, Belgaum, Karnataka, India. pallavi_07@gmail.com
authors.forename: Pallavi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Agrawal
authors.forename: Sheetal
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sanikop
authors.forename: Suvarna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Patil
mesh_terms: D054893:Cone-Beam Computed Tomography / Q000379:methods; D005883:Gingival Crevicular Fluid / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D020543:Proteome / Q000032:analysis; D012471:Salivary Proteins and Peptides / Q000032:analysis; D013053:Spectrophotometry; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D020543:Proteome; D012471:Salivary Proteins and Peptides