Periodontal Chart

Periodontal Charting

The periodontal chart provides a snapshot of your patient’s periodontal condition which can be a valuable diagnostic tool to accompany the patient’s radiographs.
To begin, access the patient’s chart from the scheduling book. The dental chart will appear. First, modify the dental chart to represent any missing teeth by highlighting the tooth and then selecting missing under conditions. This information will transfer to your periodontal chart.

Then, on the toolbar above the dental graphics, locate the perio icon. Click on the icon and a new text box will appear. This will be your periodontal data entry box. An “M” indicates that the teeth you identified as missing do not exist and now the program will not allow you to type numbers into these boxes.

The periodontal data entry screen has a panel to the right where you will enter probing depths indicated with the PD abbreviation, gingival margin which is indicated with the GM abbreviation, MGJ, Bleeding and Suppuration. The CAL is automatically calculated as you advance through the program. Notice at the bottom of your screen are two buttons: the patient chart and the Dentrix perio chart. You can toggle back and forth by selecting these buttons if you need to view the restorative chart at any point during the data entry.

Within the periodontal data entry panel, the tooth which you are currently diagnosing is highlighted and the surface is indicated in the tooth information box. The system will automatically advance from left to right highlighting the teeth in numerical order. You can override the system’s sequence by highlighting the tooth and/or surface that you wish to record. Once you manually override the system, you will need to continue to select each tooth you wish to record because the system will not automatically advance while recording on this chart. Note that the system is not permanently overridden just during this particular session.
Within the data entry box, you may select a summary report to consolidate your information. This is a valuable synopsis which will help you locate areas of concern that may require special attention during patient treatment.

Finally you may choose the graphic chart option from the toolbar. This will provide a visual comparison of areas of concern. The graphic chart is often used in case presentations as a tool for representing problem areas.