This is a retrospective study of 418 patients who received active periodontal treatment between the years of 1984 and 1990. The patients were instructed to return for supportive periodontal treatment (SPT) at 3 to 6-month intervals. The objective of this study was to evaluate patient compliance with periodic recall visits, and to study the relationship of bleeding upon probing in those who returned regularly. The patients were divided into 3 groups: patients who returned periodically for supportive treatment, patients who interrupted the proposed maintenance treatment, and patients who never returned after active periodontal treatment. Analysis was made for each group to correlate the degree of compliance with gender, disease classification, and type of treatment received. To analyze bleeding upon probing, 2 groups of patients were selected: a test group with 39 patients who had attended at least 10 recall visits and participated in the study for more than 40 months, and a control group of 21 patients who interrupted the SPT for at least 12 months. The results showed that 26% of the treated patients returned for SPT and, of those, 40% returned irregularly. There was a statistical significant difference in compliance in relation to disease classification and the type of treatment received, but no correlation was found between compliance and gender. There was a statistically significant difference in compliance between the test group and the control group in relation to the variation of the bleeding index.

The aim of the present study was to radiographically evaluate the effect of smoking on bone loss resulting from chronic periodontitis. Periapical radiographs were analyzed of 80 patients with chronic periodontitis (40 current or former smokers and 40 never-smokers) that attended a private periodontal practice. The smokers or former-smokers with a minimum consumption of 10 cigarettes/day for a period of over 10 years were selected. Interproximal radiographic bone loss was considered as the distance between the cementum-enamel junction and the alveolar bone crest. Bone loss for smokers was higher than that observed in never-smokers (p < 0.05) (3.33 +/- 1.09 mm and 2.24 +/- 0.76 mm; mean +/- standard deviation for smokers and non-smokers, respectively). When each region of the mouth was comparatively evaluated, it was observed that the smokers' incisors presented the highest bone loss when compared with the other groups of teeth (p < 0.01). Within the limits of the present investigation it can be concluded that smoking enhances the bone loss resulting from periodontitis and that the incisors are the teeth most affected.

<p>Deficiencies in the alveolar ridge, dental migration and malocclusion are conditions that may hamper restorative treatment and thus must be resolved by taking a multidisciplinary approach. This clinical case report is associated with orthodontics, implantology and prostheses for rehabilitation. A 34-year-old male patient presented himself in a private practice complaining of aesthetics and discomfort when chewing. At the clinical examination, teeth numbers 11, 12, 21, 22 and 25 were absent, with a removable partial denture replacing them. Due to the prolonged use of this prosthesis, wear of the artificial teeth and the extrusion of the anterior inferior teeth were present. A depression was also present in the vestibular region of the upper incisors, which did not provide adequate lip support. The tomographic examination revealed that despite the deficiency of the vestibular-lingual bone volume, the remnant in this region allowed for the implantation of implants. Orthodontic treatment was performed for the intrusion of the inferior elements and the alignment of the arches, with the goal of providing more spaces for rehabilitation. Afterward, the patient underwent surgery to install implants in the 11, 21 and 25 regions, concomitantly with bone regeneration in the vestibular region of the upper incisors. During this time, the patient used a new removable partial denture. After eight months, the prosthetic phase was started. Ten years after the end of treatment, the patient is satisfied with the results and performs maintenance every six months.</p><p><strong>Keywords</strong></p><p>Tooth movement techniques; Dental implants; Bone transplantation; Dental prosthesis.</p>