Long-term tooth retention in periodontitis patients in four German university centres. (March 2020) - Graetz, C.
Abstract: Objectives: In this retrospective study, we compared tooth loss between patients receiving periodontal therapy (PT) in four German university centres, stratified according to periodontal treatment phase. Materials and Methods: Overall, 896 patients (Kiel (KI) n = 391; Greifswald (GW) n = 282; Heidelberg (HD) n = 174; Frankfurt a.M. (F) n = 49) were examined initially (T0), after active periodontal therapy (APT, T1) and after supportive periodontal therapy (SPT, T2). Descriptive analyses and multivariable negative binomial regression models were performed. Results: Follow-up periods differed significantly between the centres, ranging between 6.7 ± 3.0 (GW) and 18.2 ± 5.5 (KI) years (p < 0.001). At T0, age, gender, smoking and diabetes showed notable regional distinctions (p < 0.001). However, the number of teeth per patient was similar (between 24.0 ± 4.6 (F) and 24.5 ± 4.1 (HD); p = 0.27). During PT, the number of extracted teeth differed significantly between centres, with greater differences during SPT (0.9 ± 1.8 (GW) to 2.3 ± 2.8 (KI), p < 0.001) compared to APT (0.4 ± 0.9 (F) to 1.0 ± 2.1 (KI), p = 0.02). Annual tooth loss during SPT remained low in all centres (between 0.10 ± 0.14 (F) to 0.15 ± 0.30 (HD), p < 0.001). Conclusion: Within the limitation of the study, PT leads to a low risk of tooth loss in all university centres irrespective of patients' baseline characteristics. Clinical Relevance: Within the limitations of this retrospective investigation, long-term tooth retention seems to be feasible for most patients, as long as a systematic and structured treatment approach is applied.