Section of Periodontology, Department of Oral Health Sciences, KU Leuven and Dentistry, University Hospitals Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
Clin Oral Investig. 2018 Apr;22(3):1167-1173. doi: 10.1007/s00784-017-2212-1. Epub 2017 Sep 17.
The objective of this study was to investigate the screening and referral behaviour of Flemish dentists concerning periodontitis and more specific, the use of the Dutch Periodontal Screening Index (DPSI).
An online questionnaire was electronically distributed through the different professional dental societies. It consisted of two parts: the first aimed at describing the profile of the dentist. The second part inquired the screening method, when this was applied, periodontal risk factors and referral behaviour.
One thousand fifty dentists attended to the questionnaire. One hundred fifty-nine questionnaires were excluded since they did not match the target audience. Sixty-four percent of Flemish dentists used DPSI as a periodontal screening method, 28% screened based on probing pocket depth, 4% used solely radiographs and 4% had no screening method at all. The usage of DPSI is influenced by the year of graduation: the longer the dentists were graduated, the less they used DPSI. No influence of sex, education centre and location was found. Referral behaviour is influenced by different patient- and dentist-related factors.
Regarding the screening behaviour, there seems a consensus among Flemish dentists that a periodontal probe should be used. For referral, there is no consensus about if and when to refer to a specialist.
It is encouraging that 92% of the Flemish general dental practitioners use a probe when screening for periodontitis. However, DPSI is mainly used by younger dentists. An effort should be made to encourage all dentists to use this, so that in every patient, periodontitis can be detected timely, securing the best treatment outcome.
本研究旨在调查佛兰芒牙医在牙周炎方面的筛查和转诊行为，更具体地说，是使用荷兰牙周病筛查指数（DPSI）的情况。
通过不同的专业牙科协会，在线分发了一份电子问卷。问卷分为两部分：第一部分旨在描述牙医的概况。第二部分询问了筛查方法、何时进行、牙周危险因素和转诊行为。
共有 1050 名牙医参与了问卷调查。有 159 份问卷因不符合目标受众而被排除在外。64%的佛兰芒牙医使用 DPSI 作为牙周病筛查方法，28%的牙医根据探诊袋深度进行筛查，4%的牙医仅使用 X 光片，4%的牙医根本没有筛查方法。DPSI 的使用受到毕业年限的影响：牙医毕业时间越长，使用 DPSI 的频率越低。未发现性别、教育中心和地点的影响。转诊行为受到不同的患者和牙医相关因素的影响。
就筛查行为而言，佛兰芒牙医似乎一致认为应该使用牙周探针。至于转诊，对于是否以及何时转介给专家，没有共识。
令人鼓舞的是，92%的佛兰芒普通牙医在筛查牙周炎时使用探针。然而，DPSI 主要由年轻牙医使用。应努力鼓励所有牙医使用这种方法，以便及时发现每位患者的牙周炎，确保最佳的治疗效果。
