The dentogingival epithelial surface area revisited

Recent studies implicating periodontitis as a cause of systemic diseases ha ve reported that the surface area of periodontal pockets exposed to bacteri al biofilm ranges from 50 cm(2) to 200 cm(2). Since the root surface area o f the typical human dentition (excluding 3rd molars) is 75 cm(2), these est imates appear too large, The goal of this study was to relate linear period ontal probing measurements to the dentogingival surface area (DGES). The DG ES comprises both the sulcular and junctional epithelium, present in health , as well as any intervening pocket epithelium present in periodontitis. Fo rmulas to estimate the DGES from clinical measures were derived from a meta -analysis of root surface ureas, published values of root length, and a stu dy that related the percent remaining root surface area to the percent rema ining root length. These formulas: were applied to a survey of the adult US population, the Veterans Affairs (VA) Dental Longitudinal Study, and a pop ulation of individuals visiting a periodontist. Individuals without periodo ntitis had a typical DGES of 5 cm(2). Among individuals with periodontitis, the mean DGES in the three samples ranged from 8 cm(2) (ranging from I cm? to 29 cm(2)) to 20 cm(2) (ranging from 2 cm(2) to 44 cm(2)). It was conclu ded thai the mean DGES among individuals with periodontitis ranges from 8 c m(2) to 20 cm(2), considerably smaller than the range of 50 cm(2) to 200 cm (2) currently assumed.