X-ray of Periodontal Disease

This dental xray shows a patient’s upper left, lower premolar and molar teeth. The overall height of the alveolar bone in relation to the cementoenamel junction (where the crown portion of the tooth meets the root) shows bone loss, thus previous active periodontal (gum) disease. The green dots denote the ideal bone levels in a healthy young adult, while the purple dots denote the current bone levels in this particular patient. This type of bone loss affecting all the teeth, is said to be ‘generalised’ as opposed to bone loss affecting a few sites, known as ‘localised’. Furthermore, bone loss occurring around the lower dentition is generalized (affecting all the teeth) and more ‘angular’ than ‘horizontal’.