Disease progression in periodontally treated and untreated patients - a retrospective study

Aim of the study

To assess the effect of regular supportive periodontal treatment on disease progression in patients with moderate to advanced periodontitis.

Materials and methods

To compare the radiographic change of interdental bone level and the number of teeth at two time points, in three patient groups. Group A : untreated ; group B : non-compliant patients who discontinued treatment after 2 years of maintenance ; group C : compliant patients who attended the maintenance program for 7 years.

Results

Patients in group A lost a mean of 3.8 teeth and 0.57 mm of interdental bone. The figures for group B were 3.2 teeth and 0.31 mm of bone and for group C 2.0 teeth and 0.13 mm gain of bone.

Conclusion

Systematic periodontal treatment stops interdental bone loss and reduces the number of teeth that are lost in most cases. Periodontal surgery without regular maintenance cannot prevent further periodontal destruction, but it can delay it.

Commentaries

This study confirms the results of other authors. No matter what the periodontal treatment, regular follow-up is essential to maintain the results. However, the number of patients in each group was small.