Diagnostic Accuracy of Rapid Non-clinical Screening Tests for Early Detection of Periodontitis

Gum disease is the 6th most prevalent disease of mankind. It is a non-communicable non-resolving inflammation; if untreated it leads to tooth loss and inability to chew properly. It is one of the top 80 human disease contributing 3.5 million years lived with disability and the major cause of increasing oral health costs. Addressing this major public health problem requires greater attention to prevention and early detection. Gum disease cases in the population remain largely undetected because an affected individual does not feel the presence of gum disease and as a consequence people seek attention in the later stages of the disease once tooth loss has occurred. In this study the investigators will compare different methods of screening for gum disease and compare them against a full professional examination. The investigators hope to be able to propose simple and effective methods for self-assessment that will allow people to suspect the presence of the disease before tooth loss occurs and thus allow early diagnosis and better treatment. The whole study procedures consist 3 screening tests and the standard clinical examination. The screening tests involves:(1) a screening questionnaire; (2) a saliva test; (3) a toothbrushing test. Thereafter the participants will receive a standard clinical examination which is regarded as the gold standard for diagnosis of gum disease. Results of these tests will be compared with the standard clinical examination to assess the diagnostic accuracy of these tests. The general aim of this program is to improve early detection of periodontitis in the population using a self-detection approach based on a toothbrush test as an early sign and a self-performed saliva test as a screening test for an individual to seek professional dental care early in the gum disease process. The general hypothesis is that combining self-assessment of toothbrush test with a saliva test as an assessment of key inflammatory process underlying gum disea