Estimating the time and personnel required to treat periodontal disease

Abstract

A study was undertaken to estimate the time taken to carry out the common periodontal treatments. Patients attending a university dental hospital were followed up until the end of their periodontal treatment. The average patient reqtuired 3.1 hours of treatment spread over 9.3 ± 3.9 visits. The largest proportion of the time was for doing scaling (39.3 %) ‐ that took 72.8 ± 41.0 minutes per patient. Patient education took 30.2 % of the time ‐ 55.9 ± 21.8 min per patient, examination 18.5 % (26.2 ± 17.3 min) and surgery 11.6 % (21.4 ± 46.3 min per patient). As the number of patients requiring surgery was small, timings of surgery were done on additional groups of patients. The 75 surgical procedures took 51.9 ± 29.7 min each ‐ an average of 14.3 ± 12 min per tooth. Most of the periodontal treatment was done by auxiliaries; they carried out 68.5 % of treatment (education, scahng and charting), whilst the dentists carried out the examinations and the surgery. The treatment of 60 patients at an industrial clinic was timed. Education took 8.0 ± 4,7 min and scaling and polish, 26.7 ± 16.1 min per patient. The examination time increased with increased severity of disease; patient education increased with increases in debris scores and periodontal scores; the scale and polish time increased with increasing debris, calculus and periodontal scores. The number of visits increased with increases in debris, calculus and periodontal scores. The results indicate that commonly used periodontal indices can be used to estimate treatment times and types of personnel required.

Assessing the periodontal treatment needs of a population

“…Therefore the figures should not be interpreted as average times for doing surgery. These have been reported elsewhere (Ekanayaka & Sheiham 1978). The average time for surgery did increase with increasing severity of periodontai disease.…”

“…The treatment was timed until the patients' treatment was completed and they were referred back to their own dentists or until they were placed on reeall The estimates of time and personnel required to treat the suhjects have been published (Ekanayaka & Sheiham 1978).…”

“…First an analysis was carried out to assess the relationship between some commonly used periodontal indices and clinical diagnoses of periodontal disease. Then the relationship between the indices and the time actually taken to treat a group of patients was analysed (Ekanayaka & Sheiham 1978). Next, the effect of 'differing' patient attitudes on the success of treatment was assessed.…”

Periodontal awareness, health, and treatment need in dental school patients: III. Treatment need

“…Increasing periodontal treatment need with increasing age has been reported in several studies (2, 7,8,[17][18][19]. The group study.…”

Oral cleanliness and gingival health following oral hygiene instruction by selfed‐educational programs

“…dious for dental personnel to convey this in-A number of factors have been suggested as formation to the individual patient (Bellini & playing a role in the motivation of patients in Gjermo 1973, Ekanayaka & Sheiham 1978 In a previous study, a self-examination manual informing patients how to diagnose the symptoms of periodontal disease in their own mouth was described and evaluated (Glavind & Attstrom 1979), The results of this study showed that the patients were capable of diagnosing symptoms of periodontal disease without personal professional guidance.…”