EVALUATION OF A RADIOGRAPHIC PARTIAL RECORDING-SYSTEM ASSESSING THE EXTENT AND SEVERITY OF PERIODONTAL DESTRUCTION

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of a partial radiographic bivariate index system (PESI-2). The principles of the index were applied to data from a random sample of 192 industrial employees aged 30-65 vr. Estimates of Extent and Severity of radiographic bone loss provided by the PESI-2, as well as adjusted estimates by means of simple regression models, were compared to values obtained by a full mouth radiographic examination. It was shown that the values provided by the PESI-2 were of rather high validity and reliability. The use of the adjusting models resulted in increased validity of the severity estimates and enhanced reliability of both components of the bivariate. The results verified the applicability of the PESI-2 in epidemiologic research of destructive periodontal disease.