From Volume 46, Issue 10, November 2019 | Pages 942-951
Non-surgical periodontal therapy (NSPT) underpins all other restorative treatment which takes place in the mouth. Therefore a thorough understanding of the process of delivery of effective NSPT and long-term maintenance of periodontal health is essential for every dental practitioner. This article covers the steps involved and discusses the benefits and challenges which may be encountered.
Gingivitis and periodontitis are prevalent conditions,1 which have been found to impact negatively on a patient's quality of life2 and have the potential to influence systemic health.3
Non-surgical periodontal therapy (NSPT) encompasses every non-surgical aspect of managing a patient who presents with any form of plaque-induced periodontal disease.4 NSPT includes motivating patients to engage with positive behavioural changes, such as improvements in daily plaque removal practices or smoking cessation. It also includes communicating with other healthcare professionals to manage any medical issues a patient may have which could impact on periodontal health.
Effective NSPT can play a huge role in improving and maintaining oral and general health at both an individual and a population level.5 The aim of treatment is ultimately to improve tooth longevity by preventing soft and hard tissue damage of the supporting periodontium. This is achieved by control of modifiable risk factors, including daily disruption of the supragingival bacterial biofilm by the patient and periodic removal of the subgingival bacterial biofilm by the dentist, dental therapist or dental hygienist.6 These, in turn, reduce the inflammation and active disease in the periodontal tissues,6 and enable healing. There are both benefits and challenges of NSPT (Tables 1 and 2 and Figure 1).
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