Bleeding on Probing
Also written as: BOP — Bleeding on Probing
A clinical indicator of gingival or peri-implant inflammation recorded as the presence or absence of bleeding within 30 seconds of gentle periodontal probing.
Full Definition
Bleeding on probing (BOP) is a widely used dichotomous (positive/negative) or percentage-based outcome measure in periodontal and implant research that reflects vascular proliferation and tissue inflammation in the sulcus or pocket. A BOP percentage (number of bleeding sites divided by total sites examined, expressed as a percentage) is commonly reported as a primary or secondary outcome in clinical trials. Editors should verify that the probing force, probe type, and time interval for recording bleeding are specified in the methods section. BOP should not be conflated with the Gingival Index, which is an ordinal scale that includes BOP as only one criterion.
Usage
Usage note: Define the probing force (typically 0.25 N) and recording window in the methods section. Report as a percentage of sites in epidemiological and clinical trial manuscripts. Do not use interchangeably with the Gingival Index.
In Context
- "The proportion of sites with bleeding on probing (BOP) was reduced from 68% at baseline to 22% following non-surgical periodontal therapy." — RCT primary outcome reporting
- "BOP is recorded as present or absent; the manuscript incorrectly assigns a 0–3 score to it, which is the Gingival Index scoring system." — Peer-review editorial correction