Dr. Brian Daub and hygienist Melinda Evans at Perfect Teeth-Frank Lloyd Wrightin Scottsdale, AZ are the recipients of the Orkos Award. Perfect Teeth is a network of dental practices in Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. The Orkos award recognizes dental practitioners who have demonstrated professionalexcellence in treatment for periodontal disease with a case study report. To receive the award, doctors and hygienists submit documentation of significantly improved clinical outcomes for a patient after treatment.
The patient in this case study is like many with gum disease. She has a long history of disease treatment, including regular 3-month maintenance visits, yet she struggles to maintain healthy conditions. Bleeding on probing was present at 63% of the sites of her mouth. 37% of her pockets measured 4-6 mm. In addition to initial root debridement and scaling plus regular maintenance, she also had localized antibiotic therapies. The disease persisted.
This situation is not unique. Roughly half of American adults have chronic periodontitis. Many dental professionals cite patient compliance as the number one obstacle to disease treatment, but really, with what are patients asked to comply? Toothbrush, rinse and floss can’t reach deep enough for effective patient homecare, so, even with frequent professional treatment, the bacteria grow back and infections chronically remain.
Dr. Daub and the patient’s hygienist Melinda Evans recommended prescription Perio Trays® (Perio Protect, St. Louis, MO). The trays are custom fabricated according to individual patient conditions and are used at home, in 15 minute increments, to deliver medication deep under the gums. Dr. Daub prescribed Perio Gel® (QNT Anderson, Bismarck, ND) with 1.7% hydrogen peroxide to be used in the trays. The patient went home on June 23 with instructions to use the trays and peroxide gel for 15 minutes, three times a day for two weeks.
On July 7 when she returned, bleeding was reduced from 101 to 7 sites, and deep pockets decreased from 37% to just 2%. The patient was then asked to incorporate the trays into her regular homecare, using them one time a day for 15 minutes.
“At Perfect Teeth-Frank Lloyd Wright, we present Perio Protect® trays to all qualifying patients based on a diagnostic profile of need,” explains Dr. Daub. “The sense of gratitude, and the hope and confidence that Perio Tray® patients express is so rewarding. Most periodontal maintenance patients are stagnating, merely maintaining conditions and not improving,” said Dr. Daub. “We have found that this product has given us clinical reward. Patients have also experienced emotional satisfaction, and for the first time they have beaten the beast!”
Melinda Evans, a seasoned hygienist of 25 years, described chronically bleeding gums as a condition of periodontal disease “locked in time. The pocketing and bleeding simply never changes. So when we introduced the Perio Protect® tray delivery system,” she recalls, “the results were beyond my expectations. To this day, I still smile every time I show a new patient the results we are getting. Then,” she adds, “when they return and tell me ‘my gums never felt healthier’ the treatment restores my hope for my profession. I waited 25 years to hear and see this excitement from my patients.”
The Orkos Award was founded by Perio Protect, LLC to recognize the contributions of individual dental professionals in the fight against gum disease. According to Dr. Tanya Dunlap at Perio Protect, “The ancient Greek word Orkos is associated with the ‘Hippocratic Oath,’ and with this award we want to honor those professionals like Dr. Brian Daub and Melinda Evans who share our passion and our vision for the most effective, comprehensive, and minimally invasive periodontal care.”
For details on the award and other recipients, visit www.theOrkosAward.com/studies. More information on the Perio Trays® is available at www.PerioProtect.com. Dental professionals looking for employment opportunities at Perfect Teeth can consult www.jobs.PerfectTeeth.com.
