Submit Manuscript | http://medcraveonline.com Introduction Periodontal disease is a chronic systemic disease; the goal of periodontal treatment is to maintain the teeth as long as possible with good functional and healthy condition. Many studies have shown the value of maintenance after active periodontal treatment to keep natural dentition. Several older studies have examined this issue closely. Hirschfeld & Wasserman 1 studied 600 patients in private practice after active periodontal treatment, followed for 22 years. Only 7.1% lost their teeth due to periodontal reasons. In McFall’s 2 analysis of tooth loss in one-hundred patients (1982), 77% were determined to be well-maintained. Lindhe & Nyman 3 looked at 61 patients who had periodontal treatment and periodontal maintenance every 3-6months for 14 years: their study showed only 2.3% teeth were lost. Wilson et al. (1984) also studied the importance of periodontal recall. They measured tooth loss over a 5-year period for patients on recall maintenance. Their study showed tooth loss happened in the erratic compliers; the patients who presented for regular maintenance had less chance to lose their teeth. Fardal et al. (2004), a retrospective survey of tooth extraction due to periodontal disease looking at independent variables like age, recall visits and smoking, showed age and smoking were signifcant risk factors. Chambrone et al., 5 conducted a retrospective study looking tooth loss among patients in one private dental practice in Brazil who had periodontal treatment and were maintained for 10 years or longer. Their fndings, consistent with other studies, concluded that subjects with older age and smoking were more susceptible to lose teeth due to periodontal problems. The American Academy of Periodontology’s position paper (2003) states that for most patients with a history of periodontitis, visits at every 3-month intervals may be required. The AAP goes on to take the position that periodontal maintenance quarterly “will result in decreased likelihood of progressive disease, compared to patients receiving PM on a less frequent basis.” A recent study by Faroogi et al., 6 showed that a fxed recall interval (every three months) for all patients after active periodontal treatment yielded weak results, and advised instead that the recall appointment interval be recommended on an individual basis. The aim of the present study was to measure amount of tooth loss among patients who had received periodontal treatment and were on periodontal maintenance for long times. A secondary aim was to investigate if early diagnosis of periodontal disease could result in less tooth loss. Materials and methods This was a retrospective study. One hundred chart of patients who had periodontal treatment at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine faculty practice randomly selected and reviewed for this study. Periodontal treatment was either by scaling and root- planing or by scaling and root-planing combined with periodontal surgery if necessary. Scaling and root-planing was done on patient with mild periodontitis; scaling and root-planing with surgery was performed on patients with moderate to advance periodontitis. All treatments performed by the same periodontist. Individuals presenting with any systemic disease that may affect either periodontal treatment or the outcomes of periodontal treatment excluded. All patients were adult. Periodontal diagnosis s based on the current AAP classifcation; only patients diagnosed as having generalized chronic periodontitis selected. The reasons for tooth loss and numbers of teeth lost recorded. The reasons for tooth loss were endo treatment, orthodontic treatment, or poor prognosis due to compromised periodontal condition. Age and J Dent Health Oral Disord Ther. 2018;9(3):201‒203. 201 ©2018 Famili et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially. Early diagnosis of periodontal disease needs less treatment and prevents tooth loss Volume 9 Issue 3 - 2018 P Famili, N Shah, N Anzur, L Family Department of Periodontics and Preventive Dentistry, University of Pittsburgh, USA Correspondence: Pouran Famili, Professor, Department of Periodontics and Preventive Dentistry, University of Pittsburgh, USA, Tel 412-648-9997, Fax 412-648-8594, Email pof@pitt.edu Received: November 29, 2017 | Published: June 13, 2018 Abstract Periodontal disease is a chronic infammatory condition and major cause of tooth loss. Aim: The aim of this study was to measure the number of teeth lost among a random sample of individuals receiving periodontal treatment and maintained for long-term follow- up at a university faculty practice. Materials and methods: One-hundred subjects who had received periodontal treatment and had been on recall for three or six months for at least fve years, up to twenty years, participated in this study. Subjects had at least twenty teeth. The same periodontist treated all patients. Treatment was scaling and root-planing for mild periodontitis, or scaling and root-planing plus surgery for moderate to advanced periodontitis; then all patients were on recall every three months or six months. Results: Twenty two men (38.60%) had tooth loss, compared to 37(40.22%) women who lost their teeth. This was not signifcant (p=0.84). The difference between patients who had scaling and root-planing versus scaling and root-planing with surgery was signifcant (p=0.025), but the recall interval was not signifcant (p=0.139). After adjusting for age, gender and recall, treatment was still statistically signifcant. Conclusion: Early diagnosis of periodontal disease could be treated by scaling and root- planing, with patients losing fewer teeth than treating patients with moderate to advanced periodontal disease who required surgery. Patient’s knowledge of periodontal disease, early diagnosis with periodontal maintenance prevents the progression of the periodontal disease. Keywords: periodontal disease/prevention, patient compliance, tooth loss Journal of Dental Health Oral Disorders & Terapy Clinical Paper Open Access