Periodontosis - a historical term
Parodontose oder Parodontitis? Was der Unterschied ist, welcher Begriff fachlich stimmt und was hinter dem Zahnfleischrückgang steckt.
The term 'periodontosis' dates from the 1920s. At the time it covered every disease of the tooth-supporting apparatus. Originally it meant something specific: loss of bone without inflammation and without deepened gum pockets.
Why the term no longer holds
Research has shown that virtually every loss of the tooth-supporting apparatus is caused by inflammation. The correct term is therefore periodontitis – the ending states that inflammation is present.
In everyday speech 'periodontosis' persists. When you hear or use the word, periodontitis is almost always what is meant – and that calls for treatment.