Long-term evaluation of surgical periodontal treatment with and without maintenance care

A study was conducted on the effectiveness of individual maintenance recalls and the long-term effects of surgical therapy on pocket depth and tooth loss in 43 patients with moderate to advanced periodontal disease. Sixteen of the patients had periodic control and 27 were uncontrolled. Intervals of periodic recall ranged from 3 to 6 months according to individual needs. Pocket depths were measured from four aspects of each tooth and initially classified as shallow (1-3 mm), moderate (4-6 mm) or deep (7 mm or more). Changes in each pocket depth level were determined after 10 years. Tenth-year comparisons showed that the uncontrolled group had significantly higher mean pocket depth values. Tooth loss rate was 3.6% in the controlled group, and 14.1% in the uncontrolled group, and the mean numbers of lost teeth were 0.69 and 3.63, respectively, in the ten-year period. It was concluded that periodic recalls were essential for long-term success of periodontal surgery.