Risk Factors for Periodontal Disease

Periodontitis is a multifactorial disease with microbial dental plaque as the initiator of periodontal disease. However, the manifestation and progression of periodontitis is influenced by a wide variety of determinants and factors, including subject characteristics, social and behavioural factors, systemic factors, genetic factors, tooth level factors, microbial composition of dental plaque, and other emerging risk factors. With the large array of factors that influence the development and progression of periodontitis, understanding what the relationships of these various factors and determinants are to the initiation and progression of periodontal disease can be daunting.