Oral Care and Quality Evaluation: A Multicentric Study on Periodontal Treatment.

PURPOSE: No information is available on the perception of the quality of care in patients treated for periodontitis. The purpose of this article was to assess how periodontitis-affected patients perceive the quality of periodontal treatment (PT) and to measure the factors which may influence it. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 306 subjects who completed PT were invited to participate. Questionnaires and visual analogic scales (VAS) evaluating perception of quality of care, symptoms, and oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) were handed out. Oral and periodontal indicators were collected before and after treatment. The impact of different factors on perception of quality was assessed with a regression model. RESULTS: Quality evaluation was high yet unrelated for both patients and clinicians (p = 0.983). Quality was negatively influenced by the number of residual oral infections (p < 0.001), patient's age (p = 0.07) and presence of residual pain at completion of PT (p = 0.02). Professionalism, kindness of the staff and communication skills were the characteristics mostly appreciated. The OHRQoL was influenced by the number of residual teeth (p < 0.001), increasing age of patients (p = 0.08), number of residual infections (p < 0.01) and pain (p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Patients' quality perception appeared to be influenced by clinical and emotional aspects. Oral care providers should be aware of the impact of non-clinical factors in patients' appreciation of quality of treatment.

Association between interleukin-6 polymorphisms and periodontitis in Indian non-smokers.

AIM: Genetic polymorphisms (SNPs) in the interleukin-6 (IL-6) gene have been associated with the presence of periodontitis. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between five SNPs in the IL-6 promoter region and the periodontal status of a rural Indian population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred and fifty-one systemically healthy volunteers were clinically assessed by a single calibrated examiner and divided into: healthy individuals and periodontitis patients based on the European Workshop on Periodontitis definitions and on a recently suggested definition, which takes into account age and clinical attachment levels. Their genomic DNA was analysed blindly using real-time polymerase chain reaction to study IL-6 variants. The association between genetic factors and the presence of periodontitis was assessed by logistic regression. RESULTS: The IL-6-174 GG genotype was associated with periodontitis in non-smokers and older subjects (>45 years old). No statistically significant associations were detected between IL-6 haplotypes and periodontal status, after adjusting for confounders. CONCLUSIONS: The IL-6-174 polymorphism showed some evidence of an association with the periodontal status in non-smokers and older subjects in this rural Indian population. This association might be mediated by the effect of IL-6 on inflammatory responses.