Arresting aggressive periodontitis

Any patient can develop chronic periodontitis if they fail to maintain their oral hygiene over a substantial period of time. However, a small subset of patients are vulnerable to aggressive periodontitis (AP) which deviates from the much more common form, chronic periodontitis, in both development and disease progression. Aggressive periodontitis progresses much more rapidly than its more common counterpart and is typically observed in younger patients (under 30), who are otherwise systemically healthy.¹ Onset often, but not always, begins in puberty. The disease is categorised into two types contingent on the region affected. Localised aggressive periodontitis affects at least one first molar and an incisor, or second molar and two or fewer canines with more than 3mm of attachment loss. Generalised aggressive periodontitis is where four or more teeth exhibit more than 3mm of attachment loss.² Treatment of AP is not altogether different to other forms of periodontitis, however, because of the comparatively young age of the patients and the speed with which destruction can progress (typically AP comes back in waves), extra care and attention can be warranted.