BSP - BPE Guidelines
BSP - BPE Guidelines
BSP - BPE Guidelines
Careful assessment of the periodontal tissues is an essential component of patient management. The BPE is a simple
and rapid screening tool that is used to indicate the level of further examination needed and provide basic guidance
on treatment needed. These BPE guidelines are not prescriptive but represent a minimum standard of care for initial
periodontal assessment. BPE should be used for screening only and should not be used for diagnosis.
The clinician should use their skill, knowledge and judgment when interpreting BPE scores, taking into account factors
that may be unique to each patient. Deviation from these guidelines may be appropriate in individual cases, for
example where there is a lack of patient engagement. General guidance on the implications of BPE scores is indicated
in the table below. The BPE scores should be considered together with other factors when making decisions about
referral (as outlined in the companion BSP document “Referral Policy and Parameters of Care”).
Guidelines for the use of BPE in younger patients can be found in the BSP document “Guidelines for periodontal
screening and management of children and adolescents under 18 years of age.”
1. The dentition is divided into 6 sextants and the highest score for each sextant is recorded:
upper right (17 to 14) upper anterior (13 to 23) upper left (24 to 27)
lower right (47 to 44) lower anterior (43 to 33) lower left (34 to 37)
2. All teeth in each sextant are examined (with the exception of 3rd molars unless 1st and/or 2nd molars are missing)
3. For a sextant to qualify for recording, it must contain at least 2 teeth
4. A World Health Organisation (WHO) BPE probe is used. This has a ‘ball end’ 0.5mm in diameter and a black band
from 3.5mm to 5.5mm. Light probing force should be used (20--‐ 25 grams).
5. The probe should be ‘walked around’ the teeth in each sextant. All sites should be examined to ensure that the
highest score in the sextant is recorded before moving on to the next sextant. If a code 4 is identified in a sextant,
continue to examine all sites in the sextant. This will help to gain a fuller understanding of the periodontal condition
and will make sure that furcation involvements are not missed
Scoring codes
3 Probing depth 3.5--‐ 5.5mm (black band partially visible, indicating pocket of 4--‐ 5 mm)
* Furcation involvement
An example BPE score grid might look like this:
4 3 3* Both the number and the * should be recorded if a furcation is detected. E.g.
the score for a sextant could be 3* (indicating a probing depth 3.5--‐ 5.5 mm
--‐ 2 4* plus a furcation involvement in the sextant).
2 As for Code 1, plus removal of plaque retentive factors, including all supra and subgingival calculus
4 OHI, RSD. Assess the need for more complex treatment; referral to a specialist may be indicated
* Treat according to BPE Code (0--‐ 4). Assess the need for more complex treatment; referral to a specialist
may be indicated