BPE
Also written as: BPE — Basic Periodontal Examination
Basic Periodontal Examination; a standardized, rapid screening tool using a specially designed probe to assign numerical codes (0–4, with an asterisk modifier) to each sextant of the mouth.
Full Definition
The Basic Periodontal Examination is a World Health Organization-derived screening index used extensively in UK and Commonwealth dental hygiene practice to triage patients for appropriate periodontal treatment. A ball-ended WHO probe is walked around each tooth in a sextant, and the highest code recorded represents the sextant score. Codes range from 0 (healthy) to 4 (probing depth ≥5.5 mm), with an asterisk (*) indicating furcation involvement. The BPE guides whether a patient requires routine care, simple or complex periodontal treatment. Editors working on UK-based clinical documents should be familiar with this acronym and its scoring conventions.
Usage
Usage note: Expand on first use in clinical documents intended for multi-disciplinary audiences. North American equivalent is PSR (Periodontal Screening and Recording).
In Context
- "A BPE score of 3 in the upper right sextant indicated the need for detailed periodontal assessment and root surface instrumentation." — UK dental hygiene referral letter
- "All BPE codes should be documented at the initial examination and at each subsequent recall visit." — Clinical guidelines document