Early diagnosis of periodontal disease needs less treatment and prevents tooth loss

Abstract

Periodontal disease is a chronic inflammatory condition and major cause of tooth loss. Aim: The aim of this study was to measure the number of teeth lost among a random sample of individuals receiving periodontal treatment and maintained for long-term follow-up at a university faculty practice. Materials and methods: One-hundred subjects who had received periodontal treatment and had been on recall for three or six months for at least five years, up to twenty years, participated in this study. Subjects had at least twenty teeth. The same periodontist treated all patients. Treatment was scaling and root-planing for mild periodontitis, or scaling and root-planing plus surgery for moderate to advanced periodontitis; then all patients were on recall every three months or six months. Results: Twenty two men (38.60%) had tooth loss, compared to 37(40.22%) women who lost their teeth. This was not significant (p=0.84). The difference between patients who had scaling and root-planing versus scaling and root-planing with surgery was significant (p=0.025), but the recall interval was not significant (p=0.139). After adjusting for age, gender and recall, treatment was still statistically significant. Conclusion: Early diagnosis of periodontal disease could be treated by scaling and root-planing, with patients losing fewer teeth than treating patients with moderate to advanced periodontal disease who required surgery. Patient’s knowledge of periodontal disease, early diagnosis with periodontal maintenance prevents the progression of the periodontal disease.