Investigating periodontal diagnosis and treatment at one dental school

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether patients at one dental education institution received appropriate care based on their periodontal diagnosis in a timely manner.

This study used a retrospective design to evaluate data from July 2018 to February 2020. The patient records were screened to determine whether patients received a periodontal diagnosis, whether the diagnosis followed the 2018 AAP Classification Guidelines, and if appropriate preventive and therapeutic procedures were completed in a timely manner. In addition, the type or year of dental student providing the procedure was also recorded. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and a Chi-squared test.

A total of 612 charts were generated for review and 157 met the inclusion criteria and were evaluated. Results revealed that more than half (56.7%) of the patient records did not demonstrate a periodontal diagnosis and another 10.8% did not follow current AAP Classification Guidelines. Most patients (n = 125, 79.6%) had a comprehensive periodontal assessment performed, while 32 (20.4%) had no comprehensive periodontal charting information recorded. Further, of the 157 records reviewed, 96 (61.1%) had no periodontal treatment specified. A statistically significant difference with a modest association was found between type of dental student and year based on periodontal diagnosis (Fisher's exact test value = 20.72, p = .001, Cramer's V = 0.25).

Documentation of key clinical information, diagnostic conclusions, and treatment rendered requires curriculum review. Further studies are warranted to determine whether similar findings exist among other dental school education programs.