Interest in periodontology and preferences for treatment of localized gingival recessions.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the views, knowledge and preferences of a large sample of practising dentists in periodontics, focusing specifically on the treatment of gingival recessions, and to compare the findings with the current evidence available in the dental literature.


METHODS
We conducted a cross-sectional postal survey of 3780 dentists, representing the majority of all dentists working in Switzerland. The questionnaire consisted of 17 questions, most of them giving the possibility of multiple choices of answers. The demographic profile, interests and satisfaction in periodontics were associated with the choice of treatment options offered for the management of six clinical situations.


RESULTS
One thousand two hundred and one dentists sent back the questionnaire within three months and were thus included in the analysis. In general, the interest and the satisfaction in periodontics were moderate to high (6-7 on an analogue scale from 1 to 10). Specialists in periodontics indicated a significantly higher interest and satisfaction in periodontics than the general dentists (p<0.001), and practitioners working in urban areas indicated a slightly higher interest (p=0.027) and satisfaction (0.047) than their colleagues established in a rural setting. The predominant indication of root coverage procedures was aesthetics (90.7%). The region in which dentists worked was the only significant predictor for choosing "no treatment" of buccal recessions: dentists from the German-speaking part were significantly less inclined to surgically treat gingival recessions than their colleagues from the French or Italian part. For those who opted for therapy, a free tissue graft was generally the favourite option, followed by a connective tissue graft and a coronally advanced flap. Throughout, only a small fraction of the dentists considered using a guided tissue regeneration procedure. The relative odds for not extracting teeth with severe periodontal disease were higher if the dentist was a specialist than a generalist. Satisfaction in practicing periodontics also positively strengthened the inclination towards keeping severely compromised teeth.


CONCLUSIONS
Aesthetic concerns were the predominant indication for root coverage procedures. Further research should therefore include aesthetic aspects as primary clinical outcome variables. Specific training of dentists and their satisfaction in periodontics influenced treatment decisions. Specialists involved in continuing education should inform practicing dentists more efficiently on the potential and usefulness of periodontal therapy for saving and maintaining periodontally compromised teeth.
Zaher
C-A
CA
School of Dental Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
Hachem
J
J
Puhan
M A
MA
Mombelli
A
A
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003815:Dentists / Q000523:psychology; D005889:Gingival Recession / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D048091:Guided Tissue Regeneration; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D007802:Language; D008875:Middle Aged; D010517:Periodontics; D019239:Practice Patterns, Dentists'; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013557:Switzerland; D014099:Toothbrushing