An evaluation of the effectiveness and patient compliance with plaque control methods in the prevention of periodontal disease.

The study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of plaque control recommendations 6 months following active treatment of moderately advanced periodontal disease in 100 patients. The compliance of the patients to the use of different numbers of plaque control aids was also assessed. Our observations suggest that oral hygiene standards deteriorate during periods of unsupervised maintenance, and this is unrelated to either the number of aids recommended or the number of treatment visits. The reasons for patients failing to comply with professional recommendations were determined.