title: A 12-year retrospective audit study of tooth loss in a general dental practice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the incidence of periodontal disease in a general dental practice, and to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment in preventing tooth loss over a period of 12 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a single centre retrospective analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A general dental practice in Bournemouth.
  
  
  METHODS
  Over a 6-month period from February 1997 to August 1997 records were made of all patients attending at the practice who had presented for dental examination between September 1985 and September 1986. A database was constructed to record the number of teeth present at the beginning of the study, those which at their initial exam had probing depths of between 5 and 6 mm, and those with 7 mm and greater. If teeth were lost, the date of the extraction was recorded.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients were treated by conventional dental therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tooth loss was chosen as the end-point.
  
  
  RESULTS
  13% of the patients presenting initially had periodontal problems, and conventional treatment resulted in very few teeth being lost over the study period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Periodontal disease affected only a small number of the patients in the general dental practice. Those patients affected responded well to conventional therapy, resulting in very few teeth being lost during the period of study.
authors.affiliation: Charminster House Dental Practice, Bournemouth, Dorset.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nicholls
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019230:Dental Audit; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005792:General Practice, Dental / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000628:therapy; D010512:Periodontal Index; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014081:Tooth Extraction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*