An abbreviated roentgenographic index for proximal periodontal bone height was developed which may be used to facilitate epidemiolgic research. Roentgenograms from about 2900 individuals aged 20 to 65 years and participating in epidemiologic surveys were used. The means of mesial plus distal bone levels from the mandibular molar plus premolar areas were found to satisfactorily represent the averages for the total dentition.