Oral health care-specific self-efficacy assessment predicts patient completion of periodontal treatment: a pilot cohort study.
BACKGROUND
Whether patients complete periodontal treatment is an important matter of concern. Self-efficacy is the confidence of an individual that determines "how well he/she can take the actions necessary for producing certain results" and is a variable that forecasts behavior. This study examined whether oral health care-specific self-efficacy can predict patient completion of periodontal treatment.


METHODS
A total of 140 subjects with mild to moderate chronic periodontitis (64 females and 76 males; 19 to 86 years of age; mean age: 51.7 +/- 15.7 years) participated in this study. Their self-efficacy was assessed using the self-efficacy scale for self-care (SESS) and the general self-efficacy scale (GSES) scores at the initial visit. SESS consists of three subscales: self-efficacy for dentist consultations, brushing of the teeth, and dietary habits. The subjects were classified into three groups: group 1 = 87 subjects who stayed in periodontal treatment and fulfilled maintenance criteria; group 2 = 17 subjects who stayed in periodontal treatment but did not fulfill criteria; and group 3 = 36 subjects who dropped out of periodontal treatment. Clinical and demographic characteristics and scores of GSES, SESS, and their subscales were compared among the three groups using the chi(2) and non-parametric multiple comparison tests.


RESULTS
The mean age of the subjects in groups 1 and 2 was significantly greater than the mean age of the subjects in group 3. Groups 1 and 2 exhibited significantly deeper probing depths and higher scores for SESS and its subscale, self-efficacy for dentist consultations, than did group 3.


CONCLUSIONS
Assessment of oral health care-specific self-efficacy is effective for the prediction of patient completion of periodontal treatment.
Department of Periodontology and Endodontology, Division of Oral Health Science, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Dental Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
Naoki
N
Kakudate
Manabu
M
Morita
Masamitsu
M
Kawanami
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009910:Oral Hygiene / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010352:Patient Dropouts; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012647:Self-Assessment; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires