title: Compliance with maintenance therapy in a private periodontal practice.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine patient compliance with suggested maintenance schedules. All patients eligible for maintenance therapy in a private periodontal practice were included. The study covered a period of 8 years. All patients had chronic inflammatory periodontal disease and had been eligible for at least 1 year of maintenance therapy before the close of data collection. A total of 961 patients were studied; only 16% complied with recommended maintenance schedules. Erratic compliance was found in 49% of the patients and 34% never reported for any maintenance therapy.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D012534:Dental Scaling; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D013997:Time Factors; D014092:Tooth Root / Q000601:surgery