Impact of supportive periodontal therapy on periodontal prognosis as assessed with a simplified method for risk assessment: a retrospective cohort study

Aim: To evaluate the impact of supportive periodontal therapy (SPT) on periodontal prognosis, as assessed with a simplified method (UniFe; Trombelli et al. 2009). Material and Methods: At 2 clinical centers, data were retrospectively obtained from the record charts of 109 patients (age range: 22–62 years). According to the individual treatment plan, patients had undergone active periodontal therapy (APT) and had been enrolled in a SPT program for a mean period of 5.6 2.2 years. At the completion of APT (T1) and the most recent SPT visit (T2), patient-related periodontal risk scores were calculated according to UniFe on a scale from 1 (low risk) to 5 (high risk). Results: The mean risk score was 3.7 0.9 and 3.7 1.0 at T1 and T2, respectively, with no significant difference between T1 and T2. Also, no significant difference in the distribution of patients according to risk score were observed between time intervals. Patient mobility through risk groups from T1 to T2 was observed, with 21% of patients showing a decrease in risk score (1 score: 16%; 2 scores: 3%; 3 scores: 2%), while 28% showing an increase (+1 score: 26%; +2 scores: 2%). The increase in risk scores was mainly due to an increase in the severity and extension of bone loss and probing depths as well as an increase in full mouth bleeding scores. Conclusion: In general, SPT may be effective in preserving patient-related periodontal prognosis following APT. When occurs, worsening of periodontal prognosis is mainly due to the recurrence of the clinical signs of the disease.