Adherence to periodontal maintenance in Tehran, Iran. A 7-year retrospective study.

Periodontal disease is chronic but not life threatening. Therefore, adherence to periodontal maintenance (PM) is often not ideal. However, this service is frequently needed for the remainder of one's life in order to prevent disease progression and recurrence. This study evaluates the degree of compliance with PM in a private periodontal practice in Tehran, Iran. Data were collected and analyzed for degree of compliance from 519 patients who had completed active periodontal treatment up to 7 years earlier and who had begun PM. The patients were classified according to age, sex, diagnosis, prognosis, procedures performed, and compliance with prescribed maintenance intervals. In total, the overall rate of complete compliance was 3.3%, while 57.6% were erratic compliers, and 39.1% never returned for therapy. Female patients complied better than males. Patients who had received surgery complied better with PM than patients who had received scaling and root planing. These results confirmed that the degree of compliance following periodontal therapy is far from ideal. Although universal findings of poor compliance have been found, there may not be a universal solution to resolve the problem.