Non-surgical treatment of patients with gingival and periodontal diseases can be undertaken by the general dental practitioner through the management of common and well-established risk-factors and the use of treatments adjunctive to conventional methods of scaling and root surface instrumentation. The goals and objectives of these procedures and the importance of supportive periodontal care are fully examined in this book.

This handbook has been designed for practicing dental clinicians and students, which includes dental hygienists, general dentists, periodontists, and students of dental hygiene and dentistry who are responsible for treating patients with a broad spectrum of periodontal diseases. The book will enable practicing clinicians and students to successfully meet the challenge of excellent patient care, by providing , in a concise and simplified format, both classic and contemporary practical measures that address all aspects of non-surgical periodontal disease management. Readers are carefully guided through an extensive body of accumulated knowledge in eight broad chapters which includes: the patient’s involvement in disease control and prevention, the clinician’s instrumentation for the diagnosis and basic treatment of gingivitis/periodontitis along with pharmacotherapeutics and supportive maintenance therapy to ensure long-term success. Numerous illustrations help to bring the presented ideas and suggestions to life and the succinct nature of the text will allow readers to transfer useful information quickly to their own clinical settings.

The long-term success of periodontal therapy is dependent on proper diagnosis and removal of subgingival tooth-borne accretions in the form of calculus and bacteria. From a clinical perspective, better visualization during the diagnostic and therapeutic phases has been shown to yield better results compared to traditional approaches. Minimally Invasive Periodontal Therapy evaluates the advantages of using minimal invasive techniques, the technologies available for enhancing visualization during minimally invasive therapy, and step-by-step illustrates the clinical use of each technique. Each chapter addresses the advantages and disadvantages of minimally invasive therapies, rationale for the approach, and the advantages and limitations of each of the current methods of improving visualization. The chapters then provide an evidence-based review of the technologies and procedures, and end with case studies for each visualization procedure, featuring clinical photographs.

AAP treatment guidelines stress that periodontal health should be achieved in the least invasive and most cost-effective manner. This is often accomplished through non-surgical periodontal treatment, including scaling and root planing from deep periodontal pockets, followed by adjunctive therapy such as local delivery antimicrobials and host modulation. The field of periodontology is continually changing. Dentists must stay abreast of the latest researches in periodontal treatments in order to offer the most comprehensive therapy for patients. With the recent studies indicating a possible correlation between periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease, it is even more imperative to remain current in knowledge of the diseases as well as the new treatment modalities as they become available. (Beck et al., 2009)

In this new millennium, an increasing percentage of the population will seek periodontal care. This will occur because of several reasons: patients are becoming more aware of the benefits of periodontal therapy; clinicians have received increased training in the diagnosis and management of periodontal conditions. In this regard, numerous studies have addressed the utility of nonsurgical procedures to provide definitive treatment for patients with mild-to-moderate periodontitis. "The goal for all dental treatment, including periodontal therapy, is to achieve and maintain optimal health, function and esthetics of the dentition."