title: Effects of full-mouth scaling on the periodontal health of Indigenous Australians: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Simplified periodontal therapy might be a pragmatic strategy for public health programmes targeting Indigenous Australian adults. The objective of this randomized controlled trial was to evaluate oral health effects of single-visit, non-surgical periodontal therapy compared to no treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  This parallel-group, randomized, open label clinical trial enrolled 273 Indigenous Australians aged ≥18 years with periodontitis. Intervention participants received full-mouth periodontal scaling and root planing during a single visit while the control group received no treatment. Endpoints were summary variables derived from clinical assessments of probing depth, clinical attachment loss, plaque, calculus and gingival bleeding before treatment and 3 months later.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Endpoints could be calculated for 169 participants with follow-up data. Compared to the control group, there were statistically significant reductions in extent of shallow pockets: PD ≥4 mm (mean difference -2.86, [95% CI -5.01 to -0.71], p = 0.009) and gingival bleeding (mean difference -0.25, [95% CI -0.43 to -0.08], p = 0.005) but not deeper pockets PD ≥5 mm (mean difference -0.48, [95% CI -1.78 to 0.82], p = 0.468) or plaque scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Periodontal therapy produced improvements in shallow periodontal pockets and measures of gingival bleeding in these Indigenous Australians.
authors.affiliation: Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health, School of Dentistry, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia; Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia.
authors.forename: Kostas
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kapellas
authors.forename: Loc G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Do
authors.forename: P Mark
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Bartold
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Skilton
authors.forename: Louise J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Maple-Brown
authors.forename: Kerin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: O'Dea
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Celermajer
authors.forename: Gary D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Slade
authors.forename: Lisa M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Jamieson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D003728:Dental Calculus / Q000517:prevention & control; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000517:prevention & control; D012534:Dental Scaling / Q000379:methods*; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005884:Gingival Hemorrhage / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D017622:Periodontal Attachment Loss / Q000517:prevention & control; D010512:Periodontal Index; D010514:Periodontal Pocket / Q000517:prevention & control; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016745:Root Planing / Q000379:methods*; D012907:Smoking; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Indigenous Australian; full-mouth scaling; non-surgical periodontal therapy; randomized controlled trial; smoking; subgingival scaling