Purpose: No information is available on the perception of the quality of care in patients treated for periodontitis. The purpose of this article was to assess how periodontitis-affected patients perceive the quality of periodontal treatment (PT) and to measure the factors which may influence it. Materials and Methods: 306 subjects who completed PT were invited to participate. Questionnaires and visual analogic scales (VAS) evaluating perception of quality of care, symptoms, and oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) were handed out. Oral and periodontal indicators were collected before and after treatment. The impact of different factors on perception of quality was assessed with a regression model. Results: Quality evaluation was high yet unrelated for both patients and clinicians (p = 0.983). Quality was negatively influenced by the number of residual oral infections (p < 0.001), patient's age (p = 0.07) and presence of residual pain at completion of PT (p = 0.02). Professionalism, kindness of the staff and communication skills were the characteristics mostly appreciated. The OHRQoL was influenced by the number of residual teeth (p < 0.001), increasing age of patients (p = 0.08), number of residual infections (p < 0.01) and pain (p = 0.04). Conclusions: Patients' quality perception appeared to be influenced by clinical and emotional aspects. Oral care providers should be aware of the impact of non-clinical factors in patients' appreciation of quality of treatment. Keywords: oral health related quality of life, periodontitis, quality of care

The purpose of this study was to compare two minimally invasive surgical techniques (MISTs) for the treatment of periodontal defects: (1) guided tissue regeneration (GTR) using resorbable minimembrane and particulate xenograft (DBBM); and (2) inductive periodontal regeneration (IPR) using enamel matrix derivatives and DBBM. A sample of 20 infrabony periodontal defects in 20 patients were randomly assigned to either the GTR or the IPR group. A followup was performed at 12 months postoperative. Significant improvement in clinical parameters was observed in both groups, although no intergroup differences were found. MIST with GTR or IPR demonstrated very good outcomes 1 year after surgery, with no differences between treatment groups.

In this consecutive series, 14 patients with severe intrabony defects and pathologic tooth migration were treated with guided tissue regeneration (GTR) and subsequent orthodontic therapy in an attempt to evaluate the validity of this multidisciplinary approach. Probing pocket depths (PPD), clinical attachment levels (CAL), and gingival recessions were assessed at baseline, 1 year after GTR, and at the end of orthodontic therapy. Radiographs were obtained at all time points. Esthetic parameters were recorded with the papilla presence index (PPI). Statistical analyses were carried out to compare the data at each time point. From baseline to 1 year after GTR, the mean PPD reduction was 5.57 mm, with a residual mean PPD of 2.71 mm; mean CAL gain was 5.86 mm. Both differences were statistically significant. There were no statistically significant differences between 1 year after GTR and the end of orthodontic therapy (mean PPD reduction 0.07 mm; mean CAL gain 0.43 mm). The reduction in PPI reflected the enhancement of papilla height that was observed in 9 of the 14 patients. Within the limits of this research, this study affirms the possibility of a combined orthodontic-periodontal approach that prevents damaging the regenerated periodontal apparatus and produces esthetic improvements as a result of realignments and enhancement of papilla height