Prognosis versus actual outcome: a long-term survey of 100 treated periodontal patients under maintenance care

Abstract

One hundred treated periodontal patients under maintenance care were evaluated for 5 years, and 39 of these patients were followed for 8 years to determine the accuracy of assigned prognoses based on commonly taught clinical criteria. The results suggested that this population reflected many of the same characteristics seen in well-maintained patients. The ultimate fate of teeth initially labeled as hopeless varied substantially, and even though the average prognosis of the teeth studied at each interval remained relatively stable over time, individual prognosis categories and individual tooth prognoses changed frequently. Possible reasons for these shifts are discussed. In conclusion, it was found that projections were ineffective in predicting any prognosis other than good, and that prognoses tended to be more accurate for single rooted teeth than for multi-rooted teeth. Further evaluation of the data is needed to determine how each of the prognostic indicators relate to the success or failure of our projection.