Tooth loss in periodontally treated patients: A registry- and observation-based analysis

Aim: According to retrospective clinical studies, periodontal treatment retains teeth. However, evidence on the effectivity of periodontal treatment stemming from the general population is lacking.

Materials and methods: We analysed data of periodontally treated patients from routine data of a major German national health insurance (BARMER-MV; sub-sample of the Federal State of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) and from a clinical cohort (Greifswald Approach to Individualized Medicine, GANI_MED), as well as periodontally untreated and treated participants of the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-TREND) with either ≥2 or ≥4 teeth with pocket depths ≥4 mm. Yearly tooth loss (YTL) estimates and incidence rates were evaluated.

Results: For moderately to severely affected groups, YTL and incidence rates were higher in BARMER-MV patients (0.35 and 0.18, respectively) than in untreated SHIP-TREND controls (0.19 and 0.08, respectively). In line, treated SHIP-TREND participants exhibited higher YTL rates than untreated SHIP-TREND controls (0.26 vs. 0.19). For severely affected groups, results with respect to tooth loss were inconclusive regarding the beneficial effects of periodontal treatment conducted either in the university (GANI_MED data) or in the general practice.

Conclusion: Until 2021, periodontal treatment performed in German general dental practices within the national health insurance system was probably not efficient in retaining more teeth in the short- to mid-term. Since reimbursement schemes were changed in 2021 and now cover periodontal treatment to a much larger extent, the future will show whether these new reimbursement codes will improve the quality of periodontal treatment and whether they will lead to more long-term tooth retainment.