Periodontal diseases, including gingivitis and periodontitis, are the most commonly occurring yet very specific infections of the oral cavity. When the infection is progressive, it changes from an initially favorable, reversible diagnosis of gingivitis to a less favorable, somewhat irreversible situation: periodontitis. Previously, most of the research was focused on the microbiological aspects of the periodontitis. Currently, it has been well established that bacteria alone are not sufficient for the initiation of periodontal diseases. Factors like host response, habits, and stress among various other risk factors also play an important role in the presence of the disease.

The contributions of researchers from around the world have markedly improved the understanding of the biological mechanisms, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of periodontal diseases in the past 50 years. We believe that scientific partnerships among dedicated practitioners along with extensive international collaboration on research activity can further enhance existing knowledge in this field.

We invite authors to submit original research and review articles that explore the various aspects of periodontal disease. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Epidemiology of periodontal diseases
• Associations between periodontal disease and systemic disease
• Role of imaging in assessment of periodontal diseases
• Risk factors for periodontal diseases
• Animal models for periodontal diseases

Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal’s Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijd/guidelines/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/submit/journals/ijd/perd/ according to the following timetable: