title: Association between patients' chief complaints and their compliance with periodontal therapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the association between patients' chief complaints (CCs) and their compliance with basic periodontal therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data on CCs and periodontal diseases were obtained from patients attending a periodontal clinic. Patient compliance with basic periodontal therapy was studied in relation to their CCs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of the 1196 subjects was 47.7±11.6 years. Among them, 36.9% of the subjects had chronic symptomatic CCs; 22.4%, acute symptomatic CCs; and 40.7%, asymptomatic CCs. Four hundred eighty subjects completed basic periodontal therapy; 209, incomplete treatment; and 507, no treatment. The subjects with acute symptomatic CCs were 60% more likely to receive periodontal treatment [odds ratio (OR)=1.661; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.203-2.293] than chronic symptomatic subjects, as did the asymptomatic subjects (OR=1.669; 95% CI: 1.252-2.223). However, subjects with acute symptomatic CCs were 60% less likely to complete periodontal treatment (OR=0.420; 95% CI: 0.267-0.660). The OR of completing treatment for the copayment requirement was 1.944, while that for being treated by an experienced periodontist was 1.695.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients' CCs were associated with their compliance to basic periodontal therapy. Acute symptomatic CCs may be a positive predictor to initiate periodontal treatment but a negative predictor to complete the treatment.
authors.affiliation: Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Medical Center, Section of Dentistry, Department of Periodontics, Taoyuan, Taiwan. ma3187@adm.cgmh.org.tw
authors.forename: Hwey-Chin
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.forename: Hongmin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lai
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease / Q000523:psychology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000523:psychology; D003777:Dental Prophylaxis / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009910:Oral Hygiene / Q000523:psychology*; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult