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Supportive periodontal care in dental practice: Part 1 - the importance and implications for general dental practitioners

British Dental Journal volume 236, pages 533–537 (2024)Cite this article

Abstract

Supportive periodontal care is an essential component of maintaining the outcome of periodontal treatment. It is essential to ensure cost benefit to both patients and the health services where millions are spent on treating patients with periodontal disease. The dentist must be able to recognise the crucial and important role they play in providing supportive care and therapy to periodontally compromised patients, either independently or as part of a wider dental team, over and above the various challenges they may experience in the provision of such care in general dental practice. The timely intervention with treatment or referral during this phase will help reduce the risk of tooth loss and adverse consequences to the dentist and their team by way of litigation. The aim of this paper is to provide an update on the delivery of supportive periodontal care in general dental practice with a particular reference to the role of the dentist.

Key points

  • Supportive periodontal care (SPC) is essential to sustain periodontal treatment outcomes.

  • SPC needs to be customised to a patient's periodontal treatment needs based on their disease and risk profile.

  • GDPs need to be aware of their role in delivering SPC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Specialist Registrar in Restorative Dentistry, Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospital, 47–49 Huntley Street, Bloomsbury, London, WC1E 6DG, UK

    Shivani T. Rana

  2. Consultant in Restorative Dentistry, Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospital, 47–49 Huntley Street, Bloomsbury, London, WC1E 6DG, UK

    Ulpee R. Darbar

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  1. Shivani T. Rana
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Both authors were equally responsible for the conceptualisation, writing and revision of this article.

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Correspondence to Shivani T. Rana.

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Rana, S., Darbar, U. Supportive periodontal care in dental practice: Part 1 - the importance and implications for general dental practitioners. Br Dent J 236, 533–537 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-024-7227-9

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