Surgery
Periodontics expert witnesses
Listed periodontics expert witnesses address the diagnosis and management of gum disease and its consequences. Undiagnosed periodontal disease leading to tooth loss is the most common subject of instruction.
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The evidence
What a periodontics expert witness is asked to determine
Periodontal claims rest on whether the disease was screened for at all. Basic periodontal examination scores, pocket charting and radiographic bone levels recorded over successive visits usually establish both that disease was present and that it went unrecorded. Radiographic bone levels taken years apart are often the clearest evidence of progression, and their absence is itself a finding the report should record.
- Whether periodontal screening and charting were carried out at appropriate intervals.
- Whether bone loss visible on radiographs was identified and acted upon.
- Whether the patient was informed of the diagnosis and of the risk to the dentition.
- Whether treatment, including instruction and non-surgical therapy, met the expected standard.
- What tooth loss would probably have been avoided by earlier diagnosis and treatment.
Practitioners are listed across the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. Location can be narrowed in the register’s location listings before an instruction is made.
Claim contexts
Claims that instruct this discipline
These links describe the question periodontics evidence can answer. They do not prescribe the scope of an individual instruction.
Clinical negligence claims
Screening, diagnosis and treatment of periodontal disease.
View claim type → 02Personal injury claims
Dental and periodontal damage after injury.
View claim type → 03Criminal injuries compensation
Periodontal and dental damage evidence after assault.
View claim type →Search the register by the discipline used in the instruction.
See periodontics listingsReport routes
Reports prepared
Charting, radiographs and appointment records support a records review report. A breach and causation report addresses the tooth loss attributable to delay.
A condition and prognosis report sets out the restorative work now required. Each report page records what that type of report contains.
Periodontics expert witness evidence
A periodontist expert witness looks first for the screening that should have been recorded, because its absence is often the failing itself.
The register records discipline and coverage; the instruction is settled with the practitioner. See guidance from British Society of Periodontology alongside the case material.
Directory search
Periodontics listings
Periodontics Expert Witness Cases & Claims
Related expert witness specialties
Questions answered
Frequently asked questions
Will a Periodontics expert witness respond to Part 35 questions?
Yes - CPR 35.6 entitles the parties to put written questions on a report, and answering them is part of the expert's duty to the court. A Periodontics report prepared for proceedings in England and Wales carries the Part 35 statement of truth, with equivalent duties applying in the other UK jurisdictions.
Can a Periodontics expert act as a single joint expert?
Where the court directs a single joint expert under CPR 35.7, the instruction is agreed between the parties and put jointly - a routine basis of instruction in this field. Whether a particular practitioner accepts SJE appointments is confirmed with the practitioner at the enquiry stage.
Will the expert attend joint discussions or give evidence at trial?
Where the court directs discussions between experts under CPR 35.12, they meet and produce a joint statement of what is agreed and what is disputed; attendance at trial - in person or by video link - is likewise a matter of court direction. These commitments are confirmed with the practitioner at instruction.
Can I choose a Periodontics expert of a specific gender, or one who assesses remotely?
Yes on both counts. Every listing displays the practitioner's gender, consulting locations and assessment types - face to face, remote or both - so sensitive-instruction preferences can be applied at the shortlisting stage, before any contact is made.