Trends in periodontal care

Effect of Long-Term Periodontal Care on Hemoglobin A1c in Type 2 Diabetes

This was a prospective cohort study evaluating 126,805 individuals with diabetes and periodontal disease receiving care at all Veterans Administration medical centers and clinics in the United States from 2005 through 2012. The exposures were periodontal treatment at baseline (PT0) and at follow-up (PT2). The outcomes were change in HbA1c following initial treatment (ΔHbA1c1) and follow-up treatment (ΔHbA1c2), and diabetes control was defined as HbA1c at <7% and <9% following initial and follow-up treatment, respectively. Marginal structural models were used to account for potential confounding and selection bias. The objective was to evaluate the impact of long-term treatment of periodontal disease on glycemic control among individuals with type 2 diabetes. Participants were 64 y old on average, 97% were men, and 71% were white. At baseline, the average diabetes duration was 4 y, 12% of participants were receiving insulin, and 60% had HbA1c <7%. After an average 1.7 y of follow-up, the mean HbA1c increased from 7.03% to 7.21%. About 29.4% of participants attended their periodontal maintenance visit following baseline. Periodontal treatment at baseline and follow-up reduced HbA1c by -0.02% and -0.074%, respectively. Treatment at follow-up increased the likelihood of individuals achieving diabetes control by 5% and 3% at the HbA1c <7% and HbA1c <9% thresholds, respectively, and was observed even among never smokers. HbA1c reduction after periodontal treatment at follow-up was greater (ΔHbA1c2 = -0.25%) among individuals with higher baseline HbA1c. Long-term periodontal care provided in a clinical setting improved long-term glycemic control among individuals with type 2 diabetes and periodontal disease.

Economics of periodontal care: market trends, competitive forces and incentives

The adoption of new technologies for the treatment of periodontitis and the replacement of teeth has changed the delivery of periodontal care. The objective of this review was to conduct an economic analysis of a mature periodontal service market with a well-developed workforce, including general dentists, dental hygienists and periodontists. Publicly available information about the delivery of periodontal care in the USA was used. A strong trend toward increased utilization of nonsurgical therapy and decreased utilization of surgical periodontal therapy was observed. Although periodontal surgery remained the domain of periodontists, general dentists had taken over most of the nonsurgical periodontal care. The decline in surgical periodontal therapy was associated with an increased utilization of implant-supported prosthesis. Approximately equal numbers of implants were surgically placed by periodontists, oral and maxillofacial surgeons, and general dentists. Porter's framework of the forces driving industry competition was used to analyze the role of patients, dental insurances, general dentists, competitors, entrants, substitutes and suppliers in the periodontal service market. Estimates of out-of-pocket payments of self-pay and insured patients, reimbursement by dental insurances and providers' earnings for various periodontal procedures and alternative treatments were calculated. Economic incentives for providers may explain some of the observed shifts in the periodontal service market. Given the inherent uncertainty about treatment outcomes in dentistry, which makes clinical judgment critical, providers may yield to economic incentives without jeopardizing their ethical standards and professional norms. Although the economic analysis pertains to the USA, some considerations may also apply to other periodontal service markets.

The Effect of Patient-Centered Plaque Control and Periodontal Maintenance Therapy on Adverse Outcomes of Periodontitis

The purpose of this study was to evaluate systematic reviews that addressed the effectiveness of periodontal maintenance therapy for the management of patients with periodontitis. Recent surveys of dental care patterns suggest a marked increase in preventive and maintenance periodontal care in populations that retain the dentition for an increasingly longer lifetime. A considerable body of clinical investigation concludes that a multitherapy periodontal maintenance approach is effective in improving periodontal outcomes in patients treated for periodontitis. Individual components of such maintenance therapy were assessed, including the effects of an oral examination, personal oral hygiene instructions, supragingival scaling and polishing, subgingival scaling and root planing, adjunctive procedures, and maintenance frequency. There is much controversy about improvement in oral health that may accrue from the placebo effect of an examination and the maintenance ritual. Improved plaque control by the patient in anticipation of a forthcoming examination alone might be reflected in decreased measurements for plaque accumulation and gingival inflammation but the role of placebo effects on periodontitis remains unclear. There are insufficient randomized controlled trials to reach conclusions regarding the individual beneficial effects of repeated oral hygiene instructions or routine scaling/polishing on the recurrence of periodontitis. While subgingival root planing seems an effective component of periodontal maintenance, neither clinical investigations nor randomly controlled trial evidence have established an ideal maintenance frequency based on individual patient risk for periodontitis. The adjunctive beneficial effects of both locally and systemically administered antimicrobial agents were statistically significant for some formulations, and may be particularly useful clinically in patients who are resistant to mechanical therapy. We conclude that few clinical or randomized controlled studies have evaluated the individual benefit or required frequency of the periodontal maintenance ritual for patients who are relatively resistant or susceptible to periodontitis.

Impact of periodontal preventive programmes on the data from epidemiologic studies

This report provides only circumstantial evidence for the impact of programmes on periodontal epidemiology. The prerequisites for programmes and campaigns are described, and epidemiologic data on periodontal disease are compared with known changes in factors that may be affected by such activities. Unfortunately, parameters for periodontal disease as a process are not available. Only variables indicating irreversible effects on the periodontal status can be obtained. A lack of appropriate studies creates additional problems. This review indicates that preventive programmes and campaigns to improve oral hygiene have affected periodontal epidemiologic data concerning gingivitis and mild/moderate periodontitis favourably. Severe periodontitis seems not to have been influenced by such activities. Smoking is strongly associated with the severity of periodontitis. Therefore, a positive effect may be anticipated following the smoking cessation campaigns currently introduced worldwide. However, because of the irreversible nature of our epidemiologic parameters, it will take decades before any effect may be evident. It is recommended that periodontal epidemiology should be revitalized by introducing a nominalistic categorization instead of the changing essentialistic approaches used so far in order to facilitate the interpretation of data.

Distribution of orthodontic services and fees in an insured population in Washington

Previous attempts to quantify the amount and type of orthodontic therapy provided by nonorthodontists in the United States have relied on survey data. Although there are advantages to surveys, such as control over survey recipients and inclusion of specific questions, they also have limitations, such as low response rates, response bias, and recall bias. This study used insurance claims data from a large dental benefits provider in Washington to assess the distribution of orthodontic services and fees among various dental providers. All orthodontic claims allowed by Washington Dental Service in 2001 were retrieved, along with treatment codes, fees, and demographic information for both patients and providers. A total of 102,984 orthodontic claims were included in the study. General dentists submitted 7.0% of these claims, orthodontists submitted 90.9%, and pedodontists submitted 1.9%. Orthodontists submitted higher average fees for space maintainers, first payments, and records. The percentage of orthodontic treatment preformed by general dentists and pedodontists in this claims-based study was substantially less than what has been previously reported in survey-based studies. Additionally, a smaller percentage of general dentists and pedodontists in this study performed comprehensive treatment, compared with previous studies. This study illustrates the value of insurance claims data to assess the provision of orthodontic care.

A hidden periodontitis epidemic during the 20th century?

OBJECTIVES

Increasing evidence suggests a strong causal link between smoking and periodontitis. The goal of this study was to impute how the secular changes in smoking prevalence during the 20th century impacted the advanced periodontitis incidence in the US.

METHODS

Epidemiological analyses based on US prevalence data of advanced periodontitis and smoking, and predictions of future smoking prevalence.

RESULTS

Assuming other risk factors for periodontitis remained constant, we estimated that the incidence of advanced periodontitis decreased by 31% between 1955 and 2000. The changes in smoking habits, and consequently the changes in periodontitis incidence, depended strongly on education and gender. Between 1966 and 1998, we estimated a 43% decreased periodontitis incidence among college-educated individuals versus only an 8% decrease among individuals with less than a high school education. Between 1955 and 1999, we estimated a 41% decrease among males versus a 14% decrease among females. By the year 2020, the incidence of advanced periodontitis may decrease 43% from its level in 1955.

CONCLUSIONS

A periodontitis epidemic fueled by smoking remained hidden for most of the 20th century. Because this epidemic was hidden, it distorted our understanding of the treatment and etiology of periodontitis. The socioeconomic polarization of this epidemic will dictate alterations in patterns of periodontal care.