Maintenance phase is the most important stage in terms of the patient's continued oral health. Whether periodontal therapy succeeds or not depends on his plaque control.
O'Leary et al. (1972) has devised “Plaque Control Record” and noted that goal in teaching oral hygiene procedures was to reduce plaque accumulations until they were found on 10 percent or less of the available tooth surfaces.
The purpose of this study was to investigate appropriate level of plaque control in order to maintain periodontal health at the maintenance phase using the plaque control record.
36 patients who had been recieved periodontal therapy at our department and visited hospital for periodic recall were investigated. Oral hygiene status and periodontal tissue condition of these patients were evaluated by the plaque control record, oral hygiene index, gingival index and pocket depth. In addition, oral photographs of the patients were taken.
The results obtained were as follows:
1. It seemed to be very difficult that patients maintained at the level of 10 percent or less of plaque control record at the maintenance phase.
2. The patients, who showed the level of teen to twenty percent of plaque control records, exhibited clinically no inflammation at their gingiva and did not recur the deepening of periodontal pockets.
3. At the thirty percent of plaque control record, edematous gingiva was observed. When the level of plaque control reached to forty clinically inflammatory change was evident.
4. It was found that the plaque was retained more at the mandibule than the maxilla, on the left than the right, at the mesiodistal surfaces than the buccolingual and at the mesial aspects than the distal.
