A Survey into Periodontal Management Among Hong Kong Dentists

Objectives: To investigate views regarding the management of periodontal patients held by general dental practitioners (GDPs) in Hong Kong. Methods: A questionnaire was mailed to a random sample of 774 GDPs. 488 (63%) subjects, 334 males and 149 females, returned completed questionnaires. Items surveyed included i) levels of confidence and factors influencing periodontal diagnosis and management; ii) daily periodontal practice; iii) periodontal referral patterns and concerns; and iv) views on continuing education in Periodontology. Results: 62% of the respondents obtained their primary dental qualification in Hong Kong and 19% in other Western countries, . 80% reported practising in the private sector and 16% in the government dental service. 31% hold at least one further qualification in addition to their primary dental degree. Over 85% reported being confident in management of simple periodontal disease. 51% reported being confident in diagnosing severe periodontitis, while only about 30% were confident in treating it. 59% claimed to perform periodontal screening for new patients, while 23% reported not performing periodontal probing even in patients with suspected periodontal problems or complaining of gum problems. 97% of the subjects reported providing OHI and scaling routinely and 77% perform root planing, while 29% never perform any complex periodontal treatment. 55% made a periodontal referral at least once a year, but 16% never made any such referral. 73% had taken some form of continuing education in Periodontology over the previous 3 years. 83% considered taking continuing education lectures/courses, while only 5% consider taking master degrees in the coming 3 years. Conclusions: GDPs in Hong Kong reported themselves to be confident in management of simple periodontal diseases. None the less, the importance and quality of periodontal screening in general practice should be emphasized. Practical guidelines for GDPs ought to be developed for better management of periodontal patients.