Authors' objectives: To determine: 1) the efficacy and safety of professional dental hygiene interventions in preventing and treating periodontal diseases, reducing inflammation and relieving pain, maintaining oral stability, and avoiding tooth loss; 2) the efficacy and safety of nonsurgical periodontal treatment compared to surgical periodontal treatment; and 3) if it makes a difference if dentists, dental hygienists, or dental assistants perform dental hygiene measures.

Authors' recommendations: Two systematic reviews and one RCT met the criteria to be included for professional dental hygiene as a preventive measure. Due to the quality of the primary studies that were included, very weak evidence resulted from this aggregation.Based on the available data, supragingival and subgingival mechanical plaque removal can be recommended as non-surgical periodontal treatment and as long-term periodontal maintenance maintenance care as well as in secondary aand tertiary prevention of periodontal disease. Recommendation should be based on an appropriate systematic periodontal inspection and a periodontal diagnosis to assess the individual periodontal needs. Regarding the existing lack of clear evidence of the preventive effects of routine supragingival scaling and polishing in healthy populations, more evidence is needed which measure is most effective in order to prevent the high prevalence of periodontal diseases in Austria.

Project Status: Completed

Year Published: 2009

URL for published report: https://jasmin.goeg.at/id/eprint/193

English language abstract: An English language summary is available

Publication Type: Not Assigned

Country: Austria

Organisation Name: Gesundheit Osterreich GmbH

Contact Address: Gesundheit Osterreich GmbH, Stubenring 6, 1010 Vienna, Austria tel.: +43 1 515 61-0 fax: +43 1 513 84 72

Contact Name: Heidi Stürzlinger

Contact Email: Heidi.stuerzlinger@goeg.at

Copyright: Gesundheit Osterreich GmbH (GOG)