Objective:

To undertake characterization of patients requesting periodontic specialty care.

Material and methods:

The present was a descriptive study which included all patients registered to receive dental care in a population of the Quinta Region in Chile. Data were grouped according to male and female gender, as well as age range. The following was recorded: presence or absence of tobacco use habit, type II diabetes mellitus (DM), admission to periodontal treatment, treatment desertion and admission to posttreatment periodontal therapy (PTPT). For statistical analysis of frequency differences χ2 test, alpha 0.05, confidence level 95% potency 80% and t student test were used, assessing differences according to age and gender.

Results:

110 patients requested treatment: 75 female and 35 male. 94% were admitted in the specialty program. Average age was 41 years (SD 15). During the one-year follow-up, 68% of patients remained in treatment, and 19% was admitted in PTPT. Type II DM rate was 4% for females and 31% for males (p < 0.001). Patients in age range 14-29 years were more prone to abandon periodontal treatment. With respect to type II DM differences were statistically significant in average age, 39.5 (SD 15.3) years (p = 0.002) and average age for desertion 33.2 (SD 17.7) years (p > 0.001).

Conclusions:

Women were more inclined to attend periodontal treatment than men, young patients deserted treatment more frequently. Studies on both genders revealed that males exhibited greater rate of type II DM. Additionally, diabetic patients were younger in average age as well as in average age for desertion of periodontal treatment.