In PSR charting, how should a sextant with a star be documented?

In PSR charting, how should a sextant with a star be documented?

• A. Record only the PSR code.
• B. Record the PSR code with a star to indicate additional findings.
• C. Exclude it from charting.
• D. Use a separate notation outside PSR.

Answer: (B)

In PSR charting, the star acts as a flag that there are other periodontal findings beyond the screening code in that sextant. When you find conditions such as recession, furcation involvement, tooth mobility, or other mucogingival issues, you don’t ignore them; you still record the basic screening code, but you add a star to show that additional assessment is needed. This communicates to clinicians that a full periodontal charting should be performed for that sextant. So, the correct approach is to document the PSR code and include the star to indicate these extra findings. Recording only the code would miss the additional issues, excluding it from charting isn’t appropriate, and using a separate notation outside PSR isn’t standard practice.

In PSR charting, the star acts as a flag that there are other periodontal findings beyond the screening code in that sextant. When you find conditions such as recession, furcation involvement, tooth mobility, or other mucogingival issues, you don’t ignore them; you still record the basic screening code, but you add a star to show that additional assessment is needed. This communicates to clinicians that a full periodontal charting should be performed for that sextant.

So, the correct approach is to document the PSR code and include the star to indicate these extra findings. Recording only the code would miss the additional issues, excluding it from charting isn’t appropriate, and using a separate notation outside PSR isn’t standard practice.