Interest in periodontology and preferences for treatment of localized gingival recessions

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the views, knowledge and preferences of a large sample of practising dentists in periodontics, focusing specifically on the treatment of gingival recessions, and to compare the findings with the current evidence available in the dental literature. Methods: We conducted a cross‐sectional postal survey of 3780 dentists, representing the majority of all dentists working in Switzerland. The questionnaire consisted of 17 questions, most of them giving the possibility of multiple choices of answers. The demographic profile, interests and satisfaction in periodontics were associated with the choice of treatment options offered for the management of six clinical situations. Results: One thousand two hundred and one dentists sent back the questionnaire within three months and were thus included in the analysis. In general, the interest and the satisfaction in periodontics were moderate to high (6–7 on an analogue scale from 1 to 10). Specialists in periodontics indicated a significantly higher interest and satisfaction in periodontics than the general dentists (p