General dental practitioners' and dental hygienists' perspectives on the guideline for periodontal screening, diagnostics, and treatment in general practice
In January 2021, the guideline ‘Periodontal screening, diagnosis, and treatment in general practice’ was introduced as a successor to the so-called paro protocol. Simultaneously, the Dutch Periodontal Screening Index was replaced by the Periodic Periodontal Screening. The experiences of general dental practitioners and dental hygienists with the new guideline were evaluated in the autumn of 2022. Random groups of 1,000 general dental practitioners and 400 dental hygienists were invited to answer an online questionnaire on this topic: 125 (12.5%) general dental practitioners and 102 (25.5%) dental hygienists responded. By the end of 2022, a large majority of both groups were using the Periodic Periodontal Screening. Both professional groups were satisfied with the new guideline. Dental hygienists used the Periodic Periodontal Screening in more cases than general dental practitioners and were also more frequently satisfied with the new guideline. Both oral healthcare professionals believed that the Periodic Periodontal Screening offers better opportunities to involve the patient in periodontal care compared to the Dutch Periodontal Screening Index.