Impact of receiving periodontal treatment at least once in lifetime on oral hygiene habits and periodontal status of patients

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of receiving periodontal treatment at least once in lifetime on oral hygiene habits and periodontal health status of the individuals. Methods: The clinical records of initial examination and dental history of 97 individuals (49 male and 48 female) were determined for the present study. The comparative groups were created as: group 1, individuals received periodontal treatment previously at any periodontology or dental clinic throughout their lifetime; and group 2, individuals intended to receive periodontal treatment for the first time at Periodontology Department of Ondokuz Mayis University Dental Faculty. The clinical records of individuals included; (i) Loe-Silness gingival index (GI), (ii) O’Leary plaque index (PI), (iii) bleeding on probing (BOP), (iv) probing pocket depth (PPD), (v) clinical attachment level (CAL), and (vi) the oral hygiene habits, i.e. frequency of tooth brushing and using any kind of interdental cleaning aids. Results: PPD (P = 0.327), CAL (P = 0.499), BOP (P = 0.282) and GI (P = 0.161) were not statistically different but PI (P = 0.037) was significantly higher in group 2 compared to group 1. The tooth brushing (P = 0.018; χ2 = 11.92) and the usage of interdental cleaning aids (P = 0.013; χ2 = 5.868) were significantly more frequent in group 1 than group 2. Conclusion: The present study reveals that individuals who have received periodontal treatment and instructed about oral hygiene procedures even once throughout lifetime have lower plaque indices and better oral hygiene status. Thus, the importance of the regular appointments to increase the awareness of individuals about the personal periodontal health status as well as the oral hygiene habits has been presented by this study. [J Exp Integr Med 2013; 3(1): 63-67]