About Mary Otto
Mary Otto, a Washington, D.C.-based freelancer, is AHCJ's topic leader on oral health and the author of "Teeth: The Story of Beauty, Inequality, and the Struggle for Oral Health in America." She can be reached at mary@healthjournalism.org.
New research is suggesting that while people at high-risk of periodontal disease should visit the dentist at least twice a year, others at lower risk may be fine with an annual checkup.
The new findings, just published in the Journal of Dental Research, raise questions about the standard six-month recall for all adults, suggesting instead an approach that stratifies care according to risk. In an era where health costs are skyrocketing, the researchers say their findings could cut wasteful spending and better target care.
“Prevention reduces tooth loss, but little evidence supports biannual preventive care for all adults,” concluded the researchers, led by William Giannobile, D.D.S., M.S., D.M.Sc., chairman of the department of periodontics at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, in the article “Patient Stratification for Preventive Care in Dentistry.” Continue reading →