Moderate‐ to long‐term periodontal outcomes of subjects failing to complete a course of periodontal therapy

Background The current retrospective cross-sectional study investigated 5-18 years treatment outcomes in subjects who did not complete a recommended course of periodontal therapy. Methods Sixty-five subjects who voluntarily discontinued therapy were recalled. Subject's demographic data and dental history since discontinuation of periodontal treatment were collected via questionnaires. Subject's periodontal condition, radiographic data and individual tooth-based prognosis at pre-discontinuation and recall were compared. Results A total of 229 teeth had been lost over time, mainly due to periodontal reasons. Upper and lower molars were most frequently lost. Rate of tooth loss (0.38/patient/year) was comparable to untreated patients. Deterioration in periodontal health in terms of increased percentage of sites with bleeding on probing (BOP) and sites with probing pocket depths (PPD) ≥ 6mm at re-examination was observed. Positive correlations were found between tooth loss and (i) years since therapy discontinued; (ii) percentage of sites with PPD ≥ 6mm at pre-discontinuation; and (iii) at re-examination. Percentage of sites with PPD ≥ 6mm at recall was positively correlated with periodontal tooth loss and negatively correlated with percentage of sites without BOP. Conclusions Patients not completing a course of periodontal therapy are at risk of further tooth loss and deteriorations in periodontal conditions over time. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.