title: Controlled clinical trials in periodontal disease by general practitioners.
abstract: The general practitioner with loyal and regular patients is in a good position to undertake long-term clinical trials of periodontal treatment. Ethically, these should be comparisons of agents or procedures acknowledged to be beneficial but lacking confirmation of the long-term effects. Standardized bite-wing radiographs can represent a valuable record in this type of study.
mesh_terms: D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005792:General Practice, Dental; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D011859:Radiography; D012107:Research Design