[Effects of different periodontal treatment strategies on patient cooperation]

Two groups of patients with moderate, slowly progressing periodontitis received individually tailored periodontal pretreatment. The experimental group (20 patients) was treated by three dental school assistants according to a plan of behavioral therapy. The control group (30 patients) was treated by students according to the usual procedure of motivation and instruction. Results were documented clinically and by x-rays. The results demonstrate that with both procedures oral hygiene and periodontal status can be improved during periodontal pretreatment. However, after six months the behavioral approach was clearly superior to the traditional methods.