Periodontal disease progression in the second half of life and following a single episode of scaling and root planing: A clinical study in the Sri Lankan tea plantation cohort with documented clinical parameters for more than 40 years.

Background: To evaluate periodontal disease progression (PDP) and potentially detectable effects of a single episode of scaling and root planing (se-SRP) in subjects lacking professional dental care and oral hygiene practices for >40 years.

Methods: In 2013, se-SRP was offered to all available subjects from the original cohort of 480 males initially established in 1970. From a total of 75 attending the previous examination in 2010 (baseline), 27 consented to receive the intervention while 18 declined and served as controls.

Subgingival microbiota of Sri Lankan tea labourers naïve to oral hygiene measures.

Aim: To characterize the subgingival microbiota within a cohort of adult males (n = 32) naïve to oral hygiene practices, and to compare the composition of bacterial taxa present in periodontal sites with various probing depths.

Material And Methods: Subgingival plaque samples were collected from single shallow pocket [pocket probing depth (PPD)≤3 mm] and deep pocket (PPD≥6 mm) sites from each subject. A polymerase chain reaction based strategy was used to construct a clone library of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes for each site.

Factors influencing treatment decision-making for maintaining or extracting compromised teeth.

Aims: To evaluate treatment decision-making with respect to maintaining periodontally compromised teeth among dentists with or without postgraduate qualifications in implant dentistry.

Material And Methods: A series of patient scenarios with varying degrees of periodontal disease levels was presented to dental practitioners. Practitioners' decision-making outcome was determined, and intention to retain the compromised teeth was analyzed in bivariate and regression analyses (accounting for postgraduate implant training, gender, years in dental practice, and implant placement experience).

Attitudes of general dental practitioners towards implant dentistry in an environment with widespread provision of implant therapy.

Objectives: To determine attitudes of general dental practitioners in a community where provision dental implants is a well-known treatment modality; and to identify variations in the attitudes with respect to dentists' factors, training factors and implant provision factors.

Methods: A questionnaire survey to a random sample of registered dentists In Hong Kong was performed. Attitudes towards implant dentistry with respect to (i) perceived superiority of implant therapy, (ii) perceived outcomes of dental implant therapy, (iii) perceived complications & maintenance issues and (iv) placement issues were ascertained.