Science Fair Projects Research On Periodontitis

Tasmiha
Age: 16
Illinois, USA

A type of gum disease is called periodontitis. The main difference between periodontitis and gingivitis is that periodontitis is more detrimental. Unlike gingivitis which is reversible, meaning that it may be treated. Periodontitis is not always treatable.

Periodontitis not only affects the gums but also the bones that support the teeth. When periodontitis occurs, there is loss of attachment between the tooth and the jawbone. Consequently, this may cause the loss of the tooth. Thus, it is one of the leading causes of tooth loss in the United States.

The teeth are attached to the jaw by several strong ligaments. The gums are attached to the teeth by an intricate series of microscopic fibers. The gums that lay over the tooth-bone act as protective cover. Periodontitis usually forms in the shallow pocket where the tooth and the gum meet. It is somewhat similar to gingivitis in its formation.

Bacteria usually develop in the pockets where the tooth and the gum meet due to the lack of oral hygiene and negligence. When the gum begins to pull away from the tooth, it deepens the pocket. Thus, this makes it quite laborious to clean the teeth and instigates further formation of tartar building up below the gum line.

Gradually, this infection may have more detrimental effects. It may cause inflammation of the bone, causing it to slowly disappear. As a result, it can cause the detachment of the tooth. After some time, the loss of the tooth may occur. This is the main difference between gingivitis and periodontitis. In gingivitis, there is no loss of the tooth.

But if proper care isn’t taken to treat gingivitis, the repercussions may not be as fruitful for it may cause periodontitis which can cause the loss of the entire tooth itself. The following is a picture of periodontitis gradually taking its course from attacking healthy teeth to the corrosion of the entire bone itself. References on Traumatized Teeth - (Pohlhaus, Steven R. 2000, [Online]).