Association of self-perceived periodontal status with oral hygiene, probing depth and alveolar bone level among young adults

The literature regarding self-reported dental/oral health data suggests that certain self-reported information is valid. The objective of this study was to show whether self-perceived periodontal conditions can predict actual periodontal status measured by probing depth and radiographic bone level. Participants completed a questionnaire regarding systemic health, education, smoking status, oral hygiene habits and self-perception of their own periodontal status using a visual analog scale (VAS); they were examined clinically and radiographically. More than two-thirds self-perceived their periodontal status as between 5 and 8 (out of 10). Smoking was related to radiographic bone loss, but not to the number of sites with PD > or = 5mm. Periodontal self-assessment correlated with the number of sites with PD > or = 5mm (p = 0.013), the number of sites with radiographic bone loss > or = 3 mm (p = 0.045), as well as with plaque index (p = 0.003) and daily flossing (p = 0.022). For a cutoff of 5 in the VAS score, sensitivity of 84% and specificity of 22% were found for high PD and sensitivity of 85% and specificity of 24% for bone loss.