Derivation and Validation of the Periodontal and Tooth Profile Classification System for Patient Stratification.
The goal of this study is to use bioinformatics tools to explore identification and definition of distinct periodontal and tooth profile classes (PPCs/TPCs) among a cohort of individuals by using detailed clinical measures at the tooth level, including both periodontal measurements and tooth loss.



Full-mouth clinical periodontal measurements (seven clinical parameters) from 6,793 individuals from the Dental Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (DARIC) were used to identify PPC. A custom latent class analysis (LCA) procedure was developed to identify clinically distinct PPCs and TPCs. Three validation cohorts were used: NHANES (2009 to 2010 and 2011 to 2012) and the Piedmont Study population (7,785 individuals).



The LCA method identified seven distinct periodontal profile classes (PPCs A to G) and seven distinct tooth profile classes (TPCs A to G) ranging from health to severe periodontal disease status. The method enabled identification of classes with common clinical manifestations that are hidden under the current periodontal classification schemas. Class assignment was robust with small misclassification error in the presence of missing data. The PPC algorithm was applied and confirmed in three distinct cohorts.



The findings suggest PPC and TPC using LCA can provide robust periodontal clinical definitions that reflect disease patterns in the population at an individual and tooth level. These classifications can potentially be used for patient stratification and thus provide tools for integrating multiple datasets to assess risk for periodontitis progression and tooth loss in dental patients.
Department of Periodontology, School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC.|Department of Dental Ecology, School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Thiago
T
Morelli
Department of Dental Ecology, School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Kevin L
KL
Moss
Center for Oral and Systemic Diseases, School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
James
J
Beck
Department of Biostatistics, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
John S
JS
Preisser
Department of Periodontology, School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC.
Di
D
Wu
Department of Pediatric Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.|Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Kimon
K
Divaris
Department of Periodontology, School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC.|Department of Dental Ecology, School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Steven
S
Offenbacher
D000368:Aged; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000145:classification*; D010641:Phenotype; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000145:classification*; D014481:United States
Classification; diagnosis; epidemiology; gingivitis; periodontitis; prognosis