Report on Alternative Approaches to Population-Based Surveillance of Periodontitis

Report on Alternative Approaches to Population-Based Surveillance of Periodontitis
July 10, 2007
American Academy of Periodontology

CHICAGOÛJuly 10, 2007ÛThe American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) published a supplement today in the Journal of Periodontology (JOP), that is the result of a collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, and the AAP to examine the feasibility of using alternative non-clinical measures for population-based surveillance of periodontal diseases. Participants in this workgroup include representatives from the CDC and AAP, and other leading oral epidemiologists, statisticians, academicians and public health experts. The supplement titled Development of Self-Reported Measures for Population-Based Surveillance of Periodontitis accompanied this monthÌs JOP issue.

The supplement reports on the current challenges in public health surveillance of periodontal diseases, and focuses on the potential use of self-report measures for population-based surveillance. The efforts of this workgroup include identifying and assessing the validity of self-report measures for surveillance of periodontal diseases in multiple datasets, and field testing of promising questions in a national survey. Eleven papers are presented in this supplement, covering the following issues:

Background and perspectives on surveillance of periodontal disease
Case definitions for population-based surveillance of periodontal disease
Analytical methods and assessments of self-report measures for surveillance in multiple datasets
Field testing of promising self-report questions.

ÏThe issue of periodontal surveillance has been important for both the AAP and the CDC,Ó explained William Giannobile, DDS, Associate Editor of the JOP. ÏThese papers provide valuable information about the current status of periodontal surveillance and future directions on the monitoring of periodontal disease. With the use of new salivary proteomic and genomic biomarkers of disease and rapid identification procedures to classify patients, the future is sure to be exciting.Ó

ÏWe are excited about this information,Ó said Preston D. Miller, DDS and AAP president. ÏEpidemiologists, dental researchers, clinicians, and the public are eager to assess the prevalence of periodontal disease in the U.S. population. The papers in this supplement highlight the diversity and complexity of the issue of periodontal surveillance.Ó