Examination

Question 1

What things would you look at in a hard tissue examination?

Answer 1

• Full dental chart
• Presence of defects or decay
• Overhangs
• Removable/fixed prosthesis
• Aesthetics

Question 2

What things would you look at in an occlusal examination?

Answer 2

• Signs of tooth surface loss
• Occlusal records
• Static relationships: skeletal, incisor, molar
• Dynamic relationships: excursions
• Occlusal stability

Question 3

What type of special investigations may you do and why?

Answer 3

• Study models to monitor recession and assess occlusion. Allow considering of cosmetic or functional issues.
• Photographs for clinical records and medico-legal purposes.

Question 4

What are the benefits of CBCT? Why is it not used routinely in perio?

Answer 4

• CBCT provides high accuracy for detecting furcation involvement and morphology of surrounding periodontal tissues particular in maxillary molars
• Higher radiation doses and cost-benefit ratio should be carefully analysed before using CBCT