The Longitudinal Effects of Supportive Periodontal Therapy for the Survival of Teeth in Periodontal Patients

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of supportive periodontal therapy (SPT) for the tooth survival of periodontitis patients. Methods: Two hundred and sixty-eight periodontal patients who had been maintained for 10 years or more with SPT on an approximately 3-month recall schedule were recruited and their residual teeth and tooth loss were examined. The transition of their residual teeth to tooth loss was compared with that of the Survey of Dental Diseases (2005). Results: At the beginning of SPT, the patients (average age: 50.8) had 24.4 teeth on average. The average tooth loss for 10 years' SPT was 0.22 tooth per patient. The proportion of tooth loss in the periodontitis patients during the SPT was lower than that of the age-comparable subjects in the Survey of Dental Diseases. At the beginning of SPT, 105 patients of our study had fewer residual teeth than the age-comparable subjects in the Survey of Dental Diseases. However, after the SPT (average period: 16.7 years), our patients had more residual teeth than those in the Survey. Conclusion: These results suggest that SPT was effective for the conservation of residual teeth.