Partial mouth recording of gingivitis, plaque and calculus in epidemiological surveys

Three methods for the recording of gingivitis, plaque and supra- and subgingival calculus in detail, by examining only a part of the mouth were compared with results obtained from whole mouth examinations in the same individuals. The three methods assessed were anterior segment examination only; left side alternating with right side of the mouth and the examination of 4/14 /41/6as being representative of the whole mouth. Gingivitis was recorded by a modification of the PMA system of scoring. Calculus was recorded using the calculus surface index and plaque by a numerical system based on the area of plaque covering the clinical crown. All three methods of partial mouth recording gave results which were not statistically different from the results of full mouth examinations in the 400 adults investigated, with certain provisos in the case of two of the methods. The examination of the anterior segment must include both the labial and lingual gingivae and should not be restricted to the upper jaw only. The left side should be alternated with the right side in consecutive subjects, since the gingival scores obtained for the right side were consistently higher than those obtained for the left side of the mouth.