The bleeding site: a multi-level analysis of associated factors

• Published in: Journal of clinical periodontology Vol. 40; no. 8; pp. 735 - 742
• Main Authors: Farina, Roberto, Tomasi, Cristiano, Trombelli, Leonardo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.08.2013
• Subjects: Adult; Aggressive Periodontitis - epidemiology; Algorithms; blood-flow; Chronic Periodontitis - epidemiology; cigarette-smoking; clinical expression; Cohort Studies; Dentistry; Diabetes Complications - epidemiology; Disease Susceptibility - epidemiology; distribution; experimentally-induced gingivitis; Female; gingival haemorrhage; Gingival Hemorrhage - epidemiology; gingival pocket; Gingivitis - epidemiology; Humans; inflammation; intraoral; Male; menstrual-cycle; Middle Aged; Odontologi; oral hygiene; periodontal disease; Periodontal Index; periodontal pocket; Periodontal Pocket - epidemiology; plaque-induced gingivitis; Prevalence; Probability; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Sex Factors; Smoking - epidemiology; Tooth - pathology; transition dynamics; Young Adult; gingival pocket; gingival haemorrhage; periodontal pocket; inflammation; periodontal disease
• ISSN: 0303-6979; 1600-051X
• DOI: 10.1111/jcpe.12118

Aim To evaluate the association between the probability of a sulcus/pocket to bleed on probing (BoP) and patient related as well as site‐specific characteristics. Methods Data from 88960 sites were retrospectively derived from the clinical record charts of 601 adult patients. BoP (positive/negative) had been recorded at the initial periodontal visit after probing pocket depth (PPD) assessment. To analyse the influence of patient‐, tooth‐ and site‐related factors on the probability for a site to be BoP+, a logistic, 3‐level model was built with BoP as the binary outcome variable. Results (i) The mean probability to be BoP+ for a site with PPD = 3 mm was 18%, and the log odds increased by 0.69 for each 1 mm increment in PPD; (ii) a significantly higher risk for BoP+ was observed for inter‐proximal versus approximal surfaces, posterior teeth versus anterior teeth, females versus males, while a significantly lower risk was observed for smokers versus non‐smokers; (iii) when controlling for the significant covariates, different BoP+ probabilities could still be observed among sites in patients with a different susceptibility to BoP. Conclusions The probability of a site to be BoP+ was associated with either site‐specific (i.e. PPD, tooth aspect, tooth type) or patient‐related factors (i.e. gender, smoking status).