History taking
Listen to your patients carefully to pick up the clues that will contribute in making the diagnosis. The British Society of Periodontology (BSP) suggests asking the following questions:
2. Periodontal probing
The BPE is used to screen patients for periodontal disease. It indicates the level of examination required and provides a basic guidance on treatment need. The asterisk symbol (*) should now be used to denote only the presence of a furcation, and that both the number code and the * should be recorded for each sextant where furcation involvement is found.
3. Radiographs
Appropriate radiographs are an important part of the clinical records. As a general guide, the BSP suggest that radiographs will be needed for BPE codes 3, 4 or *. Consider horizontal bitewings, vertical bitewings, paralleled periapicals or a dental panoramic.