The significance of motivation in periodontal treatment: the influence of adult patients' motivation on the clinical periodontal status.

UNLABELLED: Motivation plays an important role in the treatment process of chronic diseases, as treatment requires behavioural change and lifelong adherence to medical recommendations. Periodontitis is a good example of such health condition as to maintain good periodontal health patients have to adhere to a strict oral hygiene regimen. OBJECTIVE: To examine whether the motivation of patients suffering from chronic periodontitis influences their clinical periodontal condition. BASIC RESEARCH DESIGN: Cross sectional study. CLINICAL SETTING: Department of Periodontology and Oral Medicine, Dental University Clinic, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland. PARTICIPANTS: 199 adult periodontal patients, aged 20-78 years. INTERVENTIONS: Questionnaire concerning patients' medical and dental history, modified Zychlinscy motivation assessment questionnaire, clinical periodontal examination. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The extent of motivation. Periodontal status evaluated with the use of periodontal indices (API, BOP, CPITN). RESULTS: The mean motivation score was 57.4. The mean API and BOP values were 55.7% and 46.4%, respectively. For most of the patients the recorded CPITN value was 3. Correlations were observed between motivation and both API and BOP, and between API and BOP. CONCLUSION: Periodontal patients with greater motivation having better oral health (lower API and BOP) suggests an influence on the quality of their self-management of the disease (i.e. adherence to their oral hygiene regimen).

The significance of motivation in periodontal treatment: validity and reliability of the motivation assessment scale among patients undergoing periodontal treatment.

OBJECTIVE: The individual evaluation of patients' motivation should be introduced to the protocol of periodontal treatment, as it could impact positively on effective treatment planning and treatment outcomes. However, a standardised tool measuring the extent of periodontal patients' motivation has not yet been proposed in the literature. Thus, the objective of the present study was to determine the validity and reliability of the Zychlinscy motivation scale adjusted to the needs of periodontology. BASIC RESEARCH DESIGN: Cross sectional study. CLINICAL SETTING: Department of Periodontology and Oral Medicine, Dental University Clinic, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland. PARTICIPANTS: 199 adult periodontal patients, aged 20-78. INTERVENTIONS: 14-item questionnaire. The items were adopted from the original Zychlinscy motivation assessment scale. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Validity and reliability of the proposed motivation assessment instrument. RESULTS: The assessed Cronbach's alpha of 0.79 indicates the scale is a reliable tool. Principal component analysis revealed a model with three factors, which explained half of the total variance. Those factors represented: the patient's attitude towards treatment and oral hygiene practice; previous experiences during treatment; and the influence of external conditions on the patient's attitude towards treatment. CONCLUSION: The proposed scale proved to be a reliable and accurate tool for the evaluation of periodontal patients' motivation.