Patient-related evaluation after systematic periodontal therapy - a clinical study on periodontal health-related quality of life (PHQoL).

PURPOSE: To evaluate how periodontitis patients perceive the outcome after long-term supportive therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 281 patients (150 women/131 men) with a mean age of 55 years (range: 45-86 years) were randomly selected and consecutively interviewed using a questionnaire designed for laypersons. All patients had shown high compliance with the recommended supportive periodontal therapy (SPT) for up to 16 years (mean observation period: 12.5 years). Statistical evaluation was performed using the 2-sided t-test. RESULTS: A very high degree of confidence in the periodontal treatment (mean: 9.24, range 0-10) was found. Women noticed a higher positive impact on their social environment (P < 0.05). Patients who underwent SPT < 3 years showed a higher positive perception of treatment success than patients with SPT > 3 years (P < 0.01) and reported a greater impact on appearance (P < 0.01). Regenerative treatment demonstrated advantages over resective open flap debridement (OFD) procedures (P < 0.05) and scaling and root planing (SRP) (P < 0.05). However, treatment costs (P < 0.001) and time required (P < 0.01) for regenerative procedures were perceived as a burden. Periodontal treatment by a specialised team led to a significant reduction in the patients' complaints (P < 0.01). The SPT interval did not influence patients' perception of treatment success. CONCLUSIONS: Systematic periodontal therapy with subsequent SPT met the patients' demand to preserve oral health. Regenerative procedures prompt the perception in patients of better remission of periodontitis symptoms. Further trials should investigate clinical results of periodontal therapy regarding patient expectations.

Full-mouth versus quadrant-wise scaling--clinical outcome, efficiency and treatment discomfort.

The aim of this randomized clinical study was to compare full-mouth scaling and root planing (FM-SRP) in two sessions within 24 hours with quadrant-wise scaling and root planing (Q-SRP) in four sessions within 4-6 weeks and evaluate (I) clinical outcome, (II) treatment efficiency, and (III) treatment discomfort of patients and therapists. Twenty individuals, aged 28-65 years, with severe chronic periodontitis were randomly assigned to treatment with FM-SRP or Q-SRP. At baseline and after 6 months, there were no between-group differences in clinical findings, treatment discomfort, or post-treatment body temperature. The therapists, however, felt that FM-SRP was more physically and psychologically demanding than Q-SRP. Mean effective scaling and root planing (SRP) time was 165.5 min during the two FM-SRP sessions and 202.1 min during the four Q-SRP sessions. FM-SRP's initial time savings of 36.6 min compared with Q-SRP diminished to 30.8 min at the 6-month follow-up due to rescaling needs. Total mean treatment time (comprising SRP and patient reinformation and reinstruction in oral hygiene) during the first 6 months post-treatment was 321.2 min for FM-SRP and 353.0 min for Q-SRP. Thus, mean savings in total treatment time with FM-SRP was 31.8 min compared with Q-SRP. In conclusion, this study found that both treatment modalities may be recommended for chronic periodontitis patients. Although time saving is possible with FM-SRP,the modality may compromise the therapist's well-being if practiced frequently due to the risk of musculoskeletal problems.

Interviewing self-reported highly anxious patients during periodontal treatment.

BACKGROUND: Little information exists on highly anxious patients referred for periodontal therapy. METHODS: All patients referred for periodontal therapy between November 1, 2002 and April 1, 2004 were included in this study. Patients who perceived themselves as extremely anxious were interviewed further, and their anxiety levels were observed during the various stages of periodontal therapy. RESULTS: Twenty-one (19 females and two males, average age, 49.76 years) of 176 patients (12.1%) reported extreme anticipatory anxiety. The main reasons for their anxiety were fear of pain and previous bad experience(s). CONCLUSIONS: Average anxiety levels decreased with the progress of the periodontal therapy. However, individual responses varied greatly and were unpredictable.

The effectiveness of virtual reality for dental pain control: a case study.

The present study explored whether immersive virtual reality can serve as an effective non-pharmacologic analgesic for dental pain. Two patients (aged 51 and 56 years old) with adult periodontitis, a chronic, progressive inflammatory disease that affects gums, ligaments, and bones around the teeth, were studied in the treatment room of a periodontist. Each patient received periodontal scaling and root planing (scraping off/removing plaque deposits below the gum line, hereafter referred to as scaling) under three treatment conditions: (1) virtual reality distraction, (2) movie distraction, and (3) a no-distraction control condition. Condition order was randomized and counterbalanced. For each of the three treatment conditions, five visual analog pain scores for each treatment condition served as the dependent variables. On 0-10 labeled scales, both patients provided sensory and affective pain ratings, and subjective estimates of time spent thinking about his pain during the procedure. For patient 1, mean pain ratings were in the severe range while watching a movie (7.2), or no distraction (7.2) but in the mild pain range (1.2) during the VR condition. Patient 2 reported mild to moderate pain with no distraction (mean = 4.4), mild pain while watching the movie (3.3), and essentially no pain while in VR (0.6) during his periodontal scaling. Although the small sample size limits generalizability, we contend that virtual reality is a uniquely attention-grabbing medium capable of maximizing the amount of attention drawn away from the "real world," allowing patients to tolerate painful dental procedures. These preliminary results suggest that immersive VR merits more attention as a potentially viable adjunctive nonpharmacologic analgesia for procedural dental/periodontal pain. Virtual reality may also have analgesic potential for other painful procedures or pain populations. Practical implications are discussed.