Periodontal disease is a genetically inherited condition that occurs in 10 - 25% of the human population. For most patients, the disease shows up as bone loss around teeth in the mid 30's. Periodontitis is similar to other genetic predispositions such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and arthritis, in that it produces damage only under a given set of conditions. The good news is that if those conditions are eliminated by the appropriate treatment, the disease process can be completely stopped.