Aim: This retrospective study aimed to characterize the baseline status of patients following periodontal maintenance, analysing the association between the long-term outcome of these patients, smoking, bruxism, and the main clinical and radiographic variables.
Material and methods: A sample of 174 patients with moderate to severe periodontitis was refined into homogeneous subsamples according to smoking and bruxism and the rate of tooth loss due to periodontal disease (TLPD): 0, 1-2, and >2 teeth. The association and the distribution (χ² test) of the variables within the subsamples were analysed.
Results: Smoking and bruxism were significantly associated with higher TLPD rates. Vertical and circumferential bone defects (p < .0001), and abfractions (p < .0001) were associated with bruxism and particularly with bruxism and TLPD >2. Furcation defects (p = .0002), fewer radio-opaque subgingival calculus (χ² p < .0001), a lower mean Gingival index (χ² p = .027), and increased mean recessions >1.5 mm (χ² p = .0026) were associated with smoking and higher TLPD rates. The mean baseline mobility, abfractions, and recessions characterized two basic types of TLPD.
Conclusions: Smoking, bruxism, and routine clinical and radiological parameters can be used to characterize the baseline status of patients with worse outcomes.
Keywords: abfractions; bruxism; periodontal disease; periodontal prognosis; tooth loss.
© 2017 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Periodontology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.