Saving Teeth: Do the Bugs Matter?

Sunday Session

 

Program Track: Treatment of Inflammatory Periodontal Diseases

Moderator: Vanchit John

Speakers: Robert J. Genco, Paul A. Ricchetti, A.J. van Winkelhoff, and Thomas G. Wilson, Jr.

Educational Objectives:
• Understand the role of dental plaque in the development of gingivitis and plaque control in the resolution of gingivitis.
• Understand the recent evidence for “dysbiosis” or alterations in the subgingival microbiome and its role in the etiology of periodontitis.
• Recognize that traditional surgical pocket reduction/elimination can be a predictable alternative to long-term periodontal management.
• Understand a rational use of antibiotics in the treatment of destructive periodontitis, which includes their use with caution and restriction to well-defined cases.
• Understand the use of antibiotics based on microbiological information.
• Review the importance of calculus and its removal in the treatment of periodontal diseases.