A total mouth periodontal score (
TMPS) system in dogs has been described previously. Use of buccal and palatal/lingual surfaces of all teeth requires observation and recording of 120
gingivitis scores and 120
periodontitis scores. Although the result is a reliable, repeatable assessment of the extent of
periodontal disease in the mouth, observing and recording 240 data points is time-consuming. Using data from a previously reported study of
periodontal disease in dogs, correlation analysis was used to determine whether use of any of seven different subsets of teeth can generate
TMPS subset
gingivitis and
periodontitis scores that are highly correlated with
TMPS all-site, all-teeth scores. Overall,
gingivitis scores were less highly correlated than
periodontitis scores. The minimal tooth set with a significant intra-class correlation (> or = 0.9 of means of right and left sides) for both
gingivitis scores and attachment loss measurements consisted of the buccal surface of the maxillary third incisor canine, third premolar fourth premolar; and first molar teeth; and, the mandibular canine, third premolar, fourth premolar and first molar teeth on one side (9 teeth, 15 root sites). Use of this subset of teeth, which reduces the number of data points per dog from 240 to 30 for
gingivitis and
periodontitis at each scoring episode, is recommended when calculating the
gingivitis and
periodontitis scores using the
TMPS system.