RESUMO
AIM: Symmetry is a property established in many human biological systems and it is reasonable to expect that it may also exist in the mouth. The objective of this study was to examine whether there is a similar left-to-right distribution in periodontal disease. METHOD: Records of 197 patients from the Periodontics department of The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne were analysed. The clinical parameters recorded were pocket probing depth, recession, bleeding on probing, mobility and furcation involvement. RESULTS: The average age of our sample group was 47.5 years old, with 34.5% men and 65.5% women. The results demonstrated significant left-to-right distribution with all the periodontal indices recorded. CONCLUSION: The findings support previous studies that show that a similar left-to-right distribution exists in the population studied.