Why Test? Rethinking Periodontal Disease Through a Medical Lens

Posted on August 1, 2025July 17, 2025 by Diane Larson RDH, BSDH

One of the most common questions I hear is: “How is testing going to change the therapy provided?” My answer? “It most likely isn’t.” Wait—what?! Then why bother testing at all? That’s a fair question, and one worth unpacking. Testing tools, such as MyPerioPath®, should not replace clinical diagnostics or significantly change a patient’s treatment plan. Rather, the use of a laboratory diagnostic test has the intent to confirm, but sometimes refute what you're seeing clinically. Practic...

Missing the Boat When it Comes to Perio Therapy

Posted on April 7, 2017May 19, 2021 by Kim Miller, RDH, BSDH

During a recent national speaking engagement, a hygienist told me that they used to do clinical laboratory testing. “We stopped doing it because when we tested months later, the bacteria had come back and the patient had an active infection again. We decided ‘it’ wasn’t working so we stopped,” she explained. I thought to myself, wow, this is very interesting and a perfect example of ‘throwing the baby out with the bath water’! It wasn’t the clinical laboratory testing that wasn’t working, it ...