Long-term treatment costs for aggressive periodontitis in a German population.

AIM: This study assessed the long-term annual costs for treating aggressive periodontitis (AgP) patients. METHODS: A cohort of compliant AgP patients was retrospectively evaluated. Costs for active periodontal therapy (APT, including scaling and root planing, open flap debridement, root resections, but not pocket elimination or regenerative surgery) and supportive periodontal therapy (SPT, including also costs for restorative, endodontic, prosthetic and surgical treatments) were estimated from a mixed payer perspective in Germany. The impact of tooth- and patient-level factors on annual costs was assessed using mixed modelling. RESULTS: A total of 52 patients (mean [SD] age: 35.2/6.8 years), with 26.5 (4.0) teeth (38% with bone loss >50%) were treated. Mean follow-up (retention) time was 16.9 (5.4) years. Total treatment costs per patient and per tooth were 6,998 (3,807) and 267 (148) Euro, respectively. Approximately 87% of the costs were generated during SPT, 13% during APT. Annual patient- and tooth-level costs were 536 (209) and 20.1 (65.0) Euro, respectively. Annual tooth-level costs were significantly increased in patients aged 34 years or older, male patients, former or current smokers, teeth with furcation involvement degree II/III, and bone loss 50%-70%. CONCLUSIONS: Annual treatment costs for treating AgP patients were similar to those found for chronic periodontitis patients. Certain parameters might predict costs.

Retaining or replacing molars with furcation involvement: a cost-effectiveness comparison of different strategies.

AIM: The comparative cost-effectiveness of retaining or replacing molars with furcation involvement (FI) remains unclear. We assessed the cost-effectiveness of retaining FI molars via periodontal treatments versus replacing them via implant-supported crowns (ISCs). METHODS: Using tooth-level Markov models, we followed a molar with FI degree I or II/III in a 50-year-old patient over his lifetime. Tooth-retaining periodontal treatments (scaling and root planing, flap debridement, root resection, guided-tissue regeneration, tunnelling) were compared with tooth replacement using ISCs. We analysed costs, time until first re-treatment and total time of tooth or implant retention. The model adopted a private payer perspective within German health care. Transition probabilities were calculated based on current evidence. Monte-Carlo microsimulations were performed, and robustness of the model and effects of heterogeneity assessed using sensitivity analyses. RESULTS: Despite requiring re-treatment later than other strategies, ISCs were the most costly therapy. Compared with most periodontal treatments, ISCs were retained for shorter time than natural teeth regardless of the degree of FI, the patients' age or risk profile (smoker/non-smoker). CONCLUSIONS: Based on available data and within its limitations, our study indicates that retaining FI molars via periodontal treatments might be more cost-effective than replacing them via ISCs. Changes in the underlying evidence or the setting might alter these results.

Effort and costs of tooth preservation in supportive periodontal treatment in a German population.

OBJECTIVES: Assessment of effort (number of visits) and costs of tooth preservation 10 years after initiation of anti-infective therapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data of 98 patients who had received active periodontal treatment 10 years ago by the same examiner were analysed to gather information on effort and costs of supportive periodontal therapy (SPT). Clinical examination, interleukin-1 (IL-1) polymorphism test, smoking, search of patients' files (i.e. initial diagnosis), as well as a questionnaire on medical history and socioeconomic data were performed. Statistical analysis was performed using multivariate linear regression analysis. RESULTS: During 10 years of SPT patients had 14.8+/-7.4 visits. Number of visits was statistically significantly higher for individuals with a mean plaque control record >or=24 %. The number of subgingival scalings per tooth ranged from 0 to 14 (mean: 1.17). On tooth level several confounders could be identified: tooth type, initial bone loss, furcation involvement, abutment status, and previous regenerative surgery (p