Periodontics Flashcards
7 cards from real DDS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Periodontics flashcards as text
Porphyromonas gingivalis is a key periodontal pathogen primarily because it:
Answer: Produces virulence factors including gingipains and lipopolysaccharides
P. gingivalis is a Gram-negative anaerobe that secretes gingipain proteases and LPS, enabling it to evade host defenses and drive connective tissue destruction.
Peri-implantitis is best described as:
Answer: An inflammatory condition causing progressive bone loss around a dental implant
Peri-implantitis involves plaque-induced inflammatory changes in the peri-implant mucosa accompanied by progressive loss of supporting bone beyond initial remodeling.
Acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis (ANUG) is characterized by all of the following EXCEPT:
Answer: Deep periodontal pocket formation
ANUG typically does NOT produce pockets because tissue destruction occurs coronally without apical migration of the junctional epithelium.
Miller's Class I gingival recession is defined as:
Answer: Recession not extending to or beyond the mucogingival junction with no interproximal bone or soft tissue loss
Miller Class I recession does not reach the mucogingival junction and there is no interproximal bone or soft tissue loss; complete root coverage is predictably achievable.
What is considered the primary etiologic factor initiating periodontal disease?
Answer: Bacterial dental plaque biofilm
Bacterial plaque biofilm is the essential primary cause of periodontal disease; it initiates the host inflammatory response that ultimately destroys periodontal tissues.
Crown lengthening surgery is most commonly indicated when:
Answer: There is insufficient supragingival tooth structure for an adequate restoration
Crown lengthening removes gingival and/or osseous tissue to expose adequate tooth structure, ensuring restorative margins respect biologic width and provide sufficient ferrule.
The periodontal 'red complex,' identified by Socransky et al., consists of which triad of organisms?
Answer: Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, Treponema denticola
The red complex (Socransky et al., 1998) comprises P. gingivalis, T. forsythia, and T. denticola — the most virulent bacterial cluster strongly correlated with deep pockets and bleeding on probing.