2001 Volume 43 Issue 3 Pages 295-307
We studied periodontitis severity, oral hygiene, and questionnaire responses at initial visits and compared to results 10 and 5 years previously. We also studied the effectiveness oftreatment as evidenced by improved oral hygiene, and attempted to determine whether the questionnaire provides information useful for treatment.
We found that patient age at the initial visit was higher than that reported 10 years ago and periodontitis severity had increased. The number of times giving tooth-brushing instructions and scaling was higher than in the past. About 40% of patients, including those on maintenance treatment, had received treatment regularly for 2 years prior to the initial visit. Among these patients, the lowest average on plaque control record (PCR) was 10.8%, consistent with that reported by O'Leary et al. Initial preparation was shown to produce a good improvement in periodontitis.
In contrast, among patients who r eported several subjective symptoms on the questionnaire, PCR tended to decrease more readily in response to treatment than among those who reported fewer subjective symptoms. This item thus provided information valuable for treatment. Neither habitual smoking nor periodontal treatment experience given on the questionnaire at the initialvisit influenced treatment progress, improved oral hygiene, or affected treatment as such. J. Jpn. Soc. Periodontol., 43: 295-307, 2001.
