title: Assessment of morbidity after periodontal resective surgery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The goal of this study is to evaluate morbidity after periodontal surgery and to compare postoperative morbidity of male and female patients treated by experienced periodontists to patients treated by postgraduate (PG) periodontal students.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 271 patients underwent resective periodontal surgery. Of them, 122 patients were treated by PG periodontal students and 149 patients were treated by experienced periodontists. One week after surgery a questionnaire was given to the patients to rate postoperative pain, swelling, thermal sensitivity, and bleeding. Tactile sensitivity was evaluated in terms of presence or absence. Data were analyzed statistically by applying the analysis of variance test for comparison of the values of bleeding and the Student t test for comparing pain, swelling, tenderness to percussion, and thermal sensitivity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Postoperative bleeding did not show statistically significant differences between surgeries performed by PG periodontal students and experienced periodontists. There were statistically significant differences in contact sensitivity, thermal sensitivity, edema, and pain between surgeries performed by PG periodontal students and experienced periodontists. There were no statistically significant differences in postoperative morbidity between male and female patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Morbidity after resective periodontal surgery is low. Patients treated by experienced periodontists had lower postoperative morbidity than patients treated by PG periodontal students. There were no differences in morbidity between male and female patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontology, International University of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: López
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nart
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Alcázar
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Freixa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019647:Oral Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D010517:Periodontics / Q000193:education / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017064:Process Assessment, Health Care; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D013335:Students, Dental / Q000706:statistics & numerical data