A Proposed New Index for Clinical Evaluation of Interproximal Soft Tissues: The Interdental Pressure Index

摘要

Many clinical indexes, instrumental examinations, and laboratory tests are today available in order to study and define periodontal condition. Among them, clinical indexes remain the most commonly used criteria for an ordinary evaluation, due to their viability. Periodontal soft-tissue responses to nonsurgical periodontal therapy commonly show general improvement after treatment on all conventionally used clinical indexes [1, 2]. This positive response is an obvious benefit of professional instrumentation and a consequence of improved patient oral hygiene habits [3].Interdental papilla or, more generally, soft tissues of the interproximal areas is mostly affected by a correct soft tissue stimulation. Cantor and Stahl [4] and Checchi et al. [5] demonstrated that daily use of an interproximal hygiene device, adjacent to a periodontal pocket, results in keratinization of the dental col and shrinkage and flattening of the papillae, with a consequent decrease in pocket depth. Despite the perceptible advantages of well-stimulated interproximal tissues [6, 7], very few indexes have tried to specifically measure these factors. Our review of the literature found only few indexes created to evaluate papilla inflammation [8-10].