At your own asterisk | British Dental Journal

Sir, I read with interest the paper in the most recent issue of the _BDJ_ entitled _Oral diagnosis and treatment planning: Part 3. Periodontal disease and assessment of risk_ (_BDJ_ 2013;

213: 111–121). However, I noticed that the Basic Periodontal Examination (BPE) scoring system mentioned in this paper differs from the most recent guidelines published by the British Society

of Periodontology (BSP). In October 2011 the BSP published updated guidelines. The main changes were that the use of the asterisk symbol (*) should now be used to denote only the presence

of a furcation, and that both the BPE code and the * should be recorded for each sextant where furcation involvement is found. This means that a * should not be scored without a number to

indicate pocket depth and hence in theory, a 3* or 4* score can be awarded in a sextant. I feel that this update is key in removing any ambiguity as to what clinical finding * represents on

a BPE chart. However, in order that the BPE should be used as a universal standardised tool for screening for periodontal disease, it is imperative that ALL dental practitioners follow the

same guidelines. The updated guidelines can be found at www.bsperio.org.uk. I would urge all dental practitioners to review these as a reminder of how to score a BPE and for guidance on

interpretation of these scores. 1. By email AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * By email, S. Marshall Authors * S. Marshall View author publications You can also search for this

author inPubMed Google Scholar RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Marshall, S. At your own asterisk. _Br Dent J_ 213, 332 (2012).

https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2012.898 Download citation * Published: 12 October 2012 * Issue Date: 13 October 2012 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2012.898 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone

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