A comprehensive approach to assigning periodontal prognosis.

ABSTRACT

AIM: The purpose of this retrospective case series study was to evaluate the usefulness and performance of a comprehensive approach to assigning periodontal prognosis by assessing the risk of tooth loss due to periodontal disease (TLPD) and estimate the survival time (ST) of periodontally compromised teeth (PCT). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The Long-Term Outcome (LTO) index was utilized to assess the risk of TLPD, at baseline, in 100 patients following periodontal maintenance for a mean 24.7 year (±2.4). A TLPD prediction model was utilized to assign ST to PCT. The performance of the TLPD prediction based on both parameters was assessed. RESULTS: The mean TLPD rate increased as the LTO index increased (Kruskal-Wallis p < .001). The percentage of TLPD increased as the ST decreased, with significantly differences between the LTO categories <4 and ≥4 for all ST intervals (Mann-Whitney p < .001 to p .021). Only 21% of PCT were lost. This percentage was 58% for teeth assigned the shortest ST and increased to 71% and 88% for these teeth in LTO ≥4 patients. CONCLUSIONS: This approach might be useful to predict TLPD in patients with an initial higher risk of TLPD while it was not useful in patients with lower risk of TLPD.