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Abstract
Objectives: To evaluate the type of “periodontal treatment” performed by general dental practitioners and the referral patterns of periodontists in Iraq. Material and methods: A total of 201 general dentists were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire consisting of nine questions regarding periodontal treatment and the referral patterns of periodontists. Results: The study showed that 91.1% of general dental practitioners (GDPs) performed “phase-I therapy”, and most of them done “scaling”. Regarding surgical periodontal therapy, only 12.9% of them performed surgical periodontal therapy, half of the GDPs did gingivectomy, and less than 30% performed crown lengthening. When evaluating maintenance therapy after periodontal treatment, it was found that 77.9% of the GDPs scheduled appointments for patients in the maintenance phase, 49.4% of them after one month, 24.7% after three months, and 15.6% after six months. Using TRUF analysis, most general dentists believed that the patient and periodontal factors were responsible for the recurrence of periodontal disease. Conclusions: There is still a lack of awareness of periodontal surgical procedures among the “general dental practitioners”. Thus, it is essential to increase the comprehension of periodontal treatment among general dentists.KEYWORDS Periodontal treatment; Phase-I therapy; Surgical periodontal treatment; General dental practitioner; Referral pattern Attitude.
Highlights
This study proposed to identify the referral patterns of general dental practitioners (GDPs) to “periodontists”, to help practitioners to deliver effective periodontal treatment to patients in practice, to overcome some of the obstacles that are inherent in the process and to improve the general knowledge of the general dentists towards “periodontal treatment”
This study showed that 91.1% of General dentists performed “phase-I therapy”, while ”87.1% of them referred the patient to a periodontist for surgical procedures, and 77.9% recalled the patient for maintenance therapy (Table I)
Few studies are managing the field of estimating the attitudes and periodontal practice of “general dental practitioners” in Iraq
Summary
“Periodontal disease” is a chronic infection caused by bacteria that affects the gingiva and supporting tissues of the teeth. The cornerstone of periodontal therapy is “Non-surgical periodontal therapy” (NSPT), which is the first recommended treatment to control periodontal infections It is known as “ cause‐related therapy” [7], “Non-surgical therapy” involves and is not limited to scaling and root planning (SRP) combined with oral hygiene instructions (OHIs) and patient motivation [8], which aim at eliminating or reducing putative pathogens and shifting the microbial flora to more favourable environments to achieve stable periodontal conditions [9]. This study proposed to identify the referral patterns of GDPs to “periodontists”, to help practitioners to deliver effective periodontal treatment to patients in practice, to overcome some of the obstacles that are inherent in the process and to improve the general knowledge of the general dentists towards “periodontal treatment”
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