Participant Experience of Taking Part in Periodontal Experimental Studies

Objective: Despite the plethora of published periodontal interventional and experimental studies, there are no reports evaluating the experience of the participants as a research subject or their willingness for repeat participation in a similar study. This study aimed to determine the participants' experience and willingness to participate again in periodontal experimental studies and to explore factors that affect the participants' research experience. Materials and Methods: Questionnaires from four completed experimental wound healing studies with 76 total participants were extracted and analyzed. The participants answered the same specific questions at their last study visit. The questions asked were "overall experience in the study" and "willingness to participate in the study again," with each question providing five levels/possible answers. Questionnaires also provided an opportunity for participants to offer open-ended comments about their participation. Frequency distribution and logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the association between the participant's responses and study characteristics. Results: All 76 participants answered the specific questions. Overall, 88.2% of participants had a positive experience from their research participation, and 65.8% of them would participate again in such a study. Of the 76 participants, 50 were in studies that included multiple (≥2) experimental wounds, while 26 received only a single experimental wound. Participation experience was negatively associated with the number of wounds received (p < 0.001), while willingness to participate again was positively associated with participation experience (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Within the present study limitations, volunteers participating in periodontal experimental studies have an overall positive experience and express willingness for repeat participation.