1992 Volume 34 Issue 1 Pages 232-238
This study was designed to identify an effective maintenance program for periodontal pockets showing deep probing depth (PD) after initial therapy. Twenty patients with adult periodontitis underwent initial therapy. The 795 periodontal sites in which deep pocket (4mm.) were absent after initial therapy were monitored for 5 years following the initial thrapy. In addition to a baseline x-ray examination, clinical parameters (PD, mobility, furcation, plaque control record, etc.) were obtained by examination at baseline, re-evaluation after initial therapy and then annually for 5 years after the re-evaluation.
Ninety four (11.8%) of the 795 experimental sites were found to have increasing PD over the 5 years following initial therapy. Most of the deep pockets appeared during the first year after initial therapy. The occurrence of deep pocket was most frequent at sites with deeper PD at the baseline examination, a high freqrency of supragingival plaque during the maintenance period, radiographic vertical resorption of alveolar bone, molar teeth and proximal surfaces. These results suggest that it is necessary to pay special attention to sites with the above characteristics for the purpose of achieving more effective maintenance.
