Evidence-based rationale supports a national periodontal disease screening program

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Periodontology
• Preventive Medicine

Background:

• Periodontal diseases (PD) are highly prevalent in Austria.
• Routine intraoral inspections in national health examinations have historically overlooked signs of PD.
• Evidence-based decision-making informed the integration of PD screening into the Austrian National Periodic Health Examination (PHE).

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement a periodontal screening (PS) program within the Austrian National Periodic Health Examination (PHE).
• To identify individuals with risk factors for periodontal diseases (PD).
• To guide at-risk individuals toward appropriate dental care.

Main Methods:

• A systematic review of evidence-based literature correlating risk factors with PD progression was conducted.
• Brief, cost-effective screening interventions suitable for non-dental clinicians were selected.
• The methodology focused on identifying individual risk factors and multifactorial risk models for PD susceptibility.

Main Results:

• A 3-step intervention model was developed for the periodontal screening (PS).
• The screening model is designed for integration into the Austrian National Periodic Health Examination (PHE).

Conclusions:

• The developed PS model is evidence-based and justified by extensive data.
• The Austrian population stands to benefit from increased PD awareness and interdisciplinary collaboration between medical and dental professionals.
• The intervention aims to improve prevention and management of periodontal diseases.