Compliance improvement in periodontal maintenance

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the infuence of efforts applied to modify the patients' behavior towards periodontal maintenance. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients were classifed into three groups: Complete Compliance (participation in all visits), Irregular Compliance (irregular participation, one or more missing appointments), and Noncompliance (abandoned or never returned to the program). Complete compliers received usual procedures of the maintenance visit. The irregular compliers and non-compliers received usual procedures and strategies such as reminding next visit, informing patients on both periodontal disease and importance of maintenance, motivating the patient who showed an improvement in compliance. Thus, 137 patients were observed for 12 months. RESULTS: The degree of compliance has increased signifcantly during this period (p=0.001). No association was detected between age or gender and compliance degree. CONCLUSIONS: The results have shown that the intervention applied had a favorable infuence on the patients' compliance

Compliance improvement in periodontal maintenance

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the infuence of efforts applied to modify the patients' behavior towards periodontal maintenance. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients were classifed into three groups: Complete Compliance (participation in all visits), Irregular Compliance (irregular participation, one or more missing appointments), and Noncompliance (abandoned or never returned to the program). Complete compliers received usual procedures of the maintenance visit. The irregular compliers and non-compliers received usual procedures and strategies such as reminding next visit, informing patients on both periodontal disease and importance of maintenance, motivating the patient who showed an improvement in compliance. Thus, 137 patients were observed for 12 months. RESULTS: The degree of compliance has increased signifcantly during this period (p=0.001). No association was detected between age or gender and compliance degree. CONCLUSIONS: The results have shown that the intervention applied had a favorable infuence on the patients' compliance

Evaluation of the periodontal clinical parameters of non-smoking patients under maintenance Prospective longitudinal study

Neste estudo observacional longitudinal prospectivo, foram avaliados os parâmetros clínicos de 2257 sítios de 16 pacientes não fumantes em manutenção periodontal, através de sondagem computadorizada. Estes pacientes, tratados de periodontite crônica de moderada a severa, receberam manutenção periodontal trimestralmente durante dois anos. Na consulta inicial e aos 3, 6, 9, 12, 18 e 24 meses foram registrados, em seis sítios por dente, os parâmetros clínicos profundidade clínica de sondagem (PCS), retração gengival, nível clínico de inserção (NCI), sangramento e supuração à sondagem e presença de placa, além da mobilidade dentária. A mensuração e registro automatizado destas medidas foram realizados com precisão de 0,2 mm, sob pressão constante de 20 g. Todos os exames foram realizados pelo mesmo examinador, treinado e calibrado. Os sítios monitorados apresentaram, no período avaliado, redução de bolsa e ganho clínico de inserção significativos (p<0,00001). Considerando diferenças maiores do que 1 mm entre o NCI aos 24 meses e no exame inicial, 4,52% dos sítios apresentaram perda de inserção. O modelo multinível de regressão logística mostrou que, quanto menores o NCI e a PCS inicial do sítio, maiores seriam suas chances de perder inserção. Sítios com maiores frequências de presença de placa ou de sangramento à sondagem, bem como sítios proximais e em dentes com mobilidade, também tiveram maiores chances de perda de inserção. Sítios de alguns grupos dentários também apresentaram maiores chances deste desfecho. O reduzido número de sítios com perda de inserção e a melhora nos parâmetros clínicos detectados neste estudo demonstraram a importância de um programa de manutenção periodontal bem realizado e supervisionado, com intervalos regulares de três meses, na manutenção da saúde periodontal obtida com o tratamento.In this prospective longitudinal observational study, the periodontal clinical parameters of 2257 sites of 16 non-smoking patients under maintenance were evaluated by computerized periodontal probing. These patients, who had been treated of moderate to severe chronic periodontitis, received periodontal maintenance every third month over two years. At baseline and at 3, 6, 9, 12, 18 and 24 months, the clinical parameters Probing Depth (PD), gingival recession, Clinical Attachment Level (CAL), bleeding and suppuration on probing and plaque presence, besides tooth mobility, were record at six sites per tooth. The measurement and automated recording of these measures was performed with resolution of 0.2 mm, under constant force of 20g. All examinations and measures were performed by the same trained and calibrated examiner. The monitored sites showed, in the evaluated period, significant (p<0.00001) pocket reduction and clinical attachment gain. When differences between the CAL at 24 months and at baseline greater than 1 mm were considered, 4.52% of the sites showed attachment loss. The multilevel logistic model showed that, the smaller the site NCI and PCS baseline values, the bigger its odds of loss attachment. Sites with higher frequencies of plaque presence or bleeding on probing, as well as proximal sites and sites in mobility teeth, showed bigger odds of attachment loss too. Sites in some tooth groups showed bigger odds of this outcome too. The reduced number of sites with attachment loss and the detected attachment gain in this trial demonstrated the importance of a well performed and supervised periodontal maintenance program, with regular intervals of three months, in the maintenance of the periodontal health obtained after treatment