Compliance with supportive periodontal therapy
In this clinical study, data from private practice records were reviewed to analyze compliance according to age, sex, and type of therapy.
Data were obtained from 1,280 records of patients seen over a 20-year period in a private periodontal practice. Information was collected about patients who had been scheduled for supportive therapy, without regard to the time period treatment was performed. All patients had completed the proposed treatment, including the indicated surgical procedures. Of these, 905 cases were considered surgical cases in which patients received basic periodontal therapy followed by surgical interventions in at least three areas. The remaining patients had been treated with basic periodontal therapy plus intensive scaling and an occasional one or two simple surgical interventions. Recall visits were scheduled with intervals from two to six months. Those who fulfilled two-thirds of the appointments were considered regular; less than two-thirds, irregular; and those who did not return for any appointments, noncompliant. The compliance versus noncompliance groups were further subdivided according to age: < 20 years, 21-40 years, 41-60 years, and > 60 years.
Of the 1,280 patients, 25.2% were noncompliant and 74.8% resumed for at least some appointments. Of those who returned for at least some appointments, 40.1% were considered regular and 34.7% were classified irregular. Women who resumed for supportive therapy were greater in number than men. Patients in the age groups 21-40 and 41-60 years showed the greatest interest in supportive therapy. The figures indicated that 854 patients began, but did not continue, supportive periodontal therapy. Surgical patients complied with maintenance therapy nearly twice as frequently as those who did not have surgery.
Overall, the results of this study indicate a poor compliance rate for supportive periodontal therapy. This is consistent with other studies which have shown that patients in significant numbers abandon the recommended recall intervals after the first year. [D.S.S.]
Novaes, A., A. Novaes Jr., N. Moraes, G. Campos, and M. Grisi, J Periodont, 67:213, 1996