Extractions in Patients with Periodontal Diseases and Clinical Decision-Making Process

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the professional aspects and clinical and radiographic evidence that influences the decision for the extraction of teeth among periodontologists and general dentists. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The sample consisted of 150 (n=106 females and 44 males) dentists (n=103 general dentists and 47 periodontologists) that responded to a questionnaire designed to retrieve cross-sectional information related mainly to their level of training and time of experience in practice, as well as their personal decision for managing four patients with periodontal disease. Bivariate analyses were performed to test the association between the clinical decisions and the professional information collected from the dentists. RESULTS: In specific cases, periodontologists decided to maintain more teeth than general dentists (p<0.05). In other cases, dentists with more years of experience in practice decided to opt for more extractions (p<0.05). The level of periodontal disease (50-92%), poor oral hygiene (42.6-67.3%) and lack of alveolar bone structure (43.2-79.3%) were the most prevalent reasons behind the decision for extractions. CONCLUSIONS: An advanced level of training in Dentistry, especially Periodontology, and more years of experience in practice may lead to more well-founded decisions on whether extracting teeth or not in case-specific scenarios.