The Effect of Initial Treatment on Early Onset Periodontitis

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of initial treatment (tooth brushing instruction, scaling, root planing, simple occlusal adjustment) on early onset periodontitis. The 29 patients were 13 to 35 years old at the first visit and consisted of 12 males and 17 females. Clinical parameters were obtained at the time of the baseline examination and at the end of the initial treatment. Erythema and swelling of the gingiva, bleeding, and pus discharge from the gingiva decreased markedly after the initial treatment as compared with the pre-treatment findings. Probing depth and tooth mobility also decreased after the initial treatment. Many periodontal pockets below 6 mm at the baseline examination were improved to less than 4 mm by the initial treatment, whereas many periodontal pockets deeper than 7 mm at the baseline examination were deeper than 5 mm at the end of the initial treatment. Patients in their thirties were not so improved in pocket depth as patients in their teens and twenties. The results of the present study indicate that early detection is important and that initial treatment might be effective for early onset periodontitis as well as adult periodontitis. Further more, in the event of initial treatment not being effective, more positive measures are needed.