Dr. Lou Graham, while he thinks these numbers are high based on what he sees in his practice, said patient education should happen in the dental office. Often, patients who come into his Chicago practice are “clueless” about the connection.
“Patients are definitely reading more about it. But physicians never talk to patients about their oral care,” said Dr. Graham, who is the founder of Dental Team Concepts (dentalteamconcepts.com), a CE company. “When patients go to a doctor checkup, it’s never brought up. When we see patients in our office who are diabetic or when we see cardiac patients, they are totally unaware of systemic links via their doctor.”
When it comes to patients being more in the know about the oral-systemic link, 39% of survey respondents attributed this to education in their office, followed by media coverage at 31%. (See “How do they know,” below). Clinicians have to make time for education, Dr. Graham said. At his office, hygienists spend an hour with patients. They chat about their oral and medical history, as well as education. Dr. Graham also uses Guru by Henry Schein (howdoyouguru.com). The animated visuals give patients a deeper understanding of perio and their role in keeping it under control.
Get them on board
Education also can improve patient compliance, said Jeanne Godett, RDAEF, RDHEF, and Director of LVI Global’s laser program (lviglobal.com). She was surprised to see that 71% of GPs indicated that it is somewhat or extremely difficult to get patients to comply with recommended treatment or homecare.
Clinicians need to beef up their communication skills, Godett said. It’s important to talk with patients in their “personality profile” when educating them about perio or possible treatment plans. Talk with them knee-to-knee and eye-to-eye—and don’t forget to show them what’s happening in their mouth. Give them a mouth mirror and other educational materials.
“They have to see it in their mouth, and they have to own it in their mouth,” Godett said. “If you’re just telling them it’s there, it’s not going to get the point across.”
Patients should hear a consistent message, Dr. Genco said. All team members must emphasize the importance of homecare and eliminating risky behaviors.
“The staff must understand that these are human behavior issues that are not easily resolved,” he said. “One often has to revisit the same issues at recall visits. You have to have patience and persistence, and eventually, the patients do come around.”
How you treat it
Our survey shows that GPs use tried-and-true methods to treat perio, with 95% providing manual scaling/planing/debridement, and 93% offering powered scaling/planning/debridement. Many (61%) use localized, targeted antimicrobial therapy such as PerioChip (periochip.com) and Arestin (arestin.com) to reduce bacteria in the pockets.
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