Maintenance care in the treatment of periodontal disease

Abstract

Summary. Inflammatory periodontal diseases present a serious dental, general medical and social problem. Despite the improvements in diagnostic methods and the introduction of new technologies, inflammatory periodontal diseases present particular challenges in terms of achieving stable remission and improving the quality of life of patients. Maintenance therapy is the cornerstone of a successful practice that aims to provide good quality general dental care to achieve on-going oral health for their patients. Maintenance therapy allows for early detection and treatment, thereby helping to maintain your teeth for as long as possible and to avoid the need for repeat treatments.

The aim of the study – to investigate the perception and understanding of supportive periodontal therapy of general dental practitioners.

Materials and Methods. To carry out this review we have analyzed articles published in scientific journals of dentistry. For the search we used the MEDLINE databases at www.pubmed.com and Cochrane. Those articles that provide information on maintenance therapy.

Results. The review presents data on key aspects of supportive periodontal therapy. The goals of maintenance therapy are to prevent the initiation and recurrence of periodontal diseases. Support for the ongoing monitoring of reinfection in periodontal pockets is decisive for the success of periodontal therapy; therefore, the cornerstone of a supportive periodontal therapy system is an elimination of biofilm in the professional oral hygiene complex.

Conclusions. Supportive periodontal therapy with constant control of motivation towards personal hygiene and regular professional removal of biofilm is etiopathogenetically established; it is a key to a successful outcome of treatment and prevention of inflammatory periodontal diseases. The provision of periodontal treatment, without the follow-up of maintenance therapy, is unlikely to be of any benefit to the patient.