Management of periodontal diseases within the NHS three years on: Are things any better?

Abstract

This paper will begin by briefly analysing the provision of periodontal care under the old and new contracts and introduce the concept of medical management formulas under the 'wellness model' rather than the traditional surgical approach that comprises the 'repair model'. A new online risk (and disease) calculator 'PreViser' developed in the United States and now available in the UK (Previser.co.uk) will be presented as an example of how UK Dentists can start working towards adopting the wellness model in modern preventative care practices. The presentation will then discuss the myths and realities surrounding one-stage full mouth disinfection, and ask how strong the evidence is for benefit, before taking a look into the future of novel host-modulation therapies and demonstrating how we can control what our genes do by what we eat! © 2007 Nature Publishig Group.