Periodontal Treatment Practice and Referral Profile of General Dentists – A Cross-sectional Questionnaire Survey

BACKGROUND: Because of medical advancement, the mean age of the general population is increasing gradually. This increase in the mean age of patients has led to its implications on oral health. Hence, it is logical to assume an increase in the figure of referrals to specialists and the complexity of treatments provided. AIM: The aim of the survey was to assess the current status of periodontal treatment provided, awareness of referral profile, and criteria taken into consideration for the referral to the periodontist by general dentists. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted among 318 general dentists. The relevant work related to the status of periodontal procedures provided by dentists and their referral relationships were studied. The questionnaire consisting of six questions was designed. Descriptive statistics, including frequency distributions and measures of central tendency and Chi-square test, were used. RESULTS: The study showed that majority of the general dentists do non-surgical procedures by their own. However, around 85% of respondents did not provide surgical periodontal treatment by themselves. About 25% of the responding general dentists thought that they had inadequate education and experience in the field of periodontics which was a major reason for the referral to specialists. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that the general dentists are comfortable in carrying out the non-surgical procedures, but they had some reservations about the periodontal surgical procedures. Inadequate experience and facilities were the major reasons for the referral to periodontists. More of this type of study should be conducted to know the basic level of periodontal practices carried out among the general dentists and about the referral to the specialists

Efficacy of Pluronic F-127 gel containing green tea catechin extract on chronic periodontitis – A clinical study

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of pluronic F-127 gel containing green tea catechin extract as a local drug delivery system in the treatment of chronic periodontitis. Methods: A total of 20 chronic periodontitis patients participated as per the set inclusion and exclusion criteria. Complete scaling and root planing (SRP) was done for all subjects and pluronic F-127 gel containing green tea catechin was applied on one site. The contralateral site received SRP alone. The plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), and probing pocket depth (PPD) were recorded at baseline and on the 28th day. Results: At the 28th-day follow-up, green tea catechin tooth sites showed significantly lower mean scores (GI = 0.55, p = 0.30 and PPD = 3.35 mm) than the corresponding SRP tooth sites (GI = 1.25, PI = 1.15, and PPD = 4.40 mm) (p < 0.05). Conclusion: When compared to scaling and root planing alone, the local drug delivery gel containing green tea catechin as an adjuvant was more effective in reducing the clinical parameters of periodontitis. Keywords: Adjuvant therapy, Camellia sinensis, Local drug delivery, Periodontal pocke