Periodontal Treatment Practices and Referral Profile of General Dentists in Maharashtra: A Questionnaire-Based Survey

Introduction General dentists are generally confident in non-surgical periodontal care but tend to refer more complex surgical cases to periodontists due to limited experience and resources. This study aims to evaluate the range of periodontal treatments offered by general dentists, the frequency of their referrals to periodontists, the criteria for referrals, and the factors influencing these decisions. Methods This cross-sectional, descriptive study employed a questionnaire to examine the periodontal procedures performed by general dentists in both the rural and urban areas of Maharashtra and their referral practices. A simple random sampling method was used to select the participants. The questionnaire was in the form of a Google Form and was distributed to both graduate and postgraduate general dental practitioners via WhatsApp or email. The collected data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 24 (Released 2016; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States). The statistical test used was the Chi-square test and a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results A total of 348 responses were collected, with 209 from graduate practitioners and 139 from postgraduate practitioners. The majority of general dentists performed non-surgical procedures; however, 85% did not perform surgical treatments. About 35% felt inadequately trained in periodontics, leading to referrals. Referral patterns for both surgical (p=0.84) and non-surgical procedures (p=0.131) Chi-square tests indicated no significant differences between the referrals of graduates and postgraduates. Non-surgical cases were referred by 11% of the graduates and 8% of the postgraduates, while surgical cases were referred by 32% and 34% of them, respectively. Conclusion The study concluded that general dentists are confident in performing non-surgical periodontal procedures but express reservations about undertaking periodontal and implant surgeries. The primary factors influencing referrals to periodontists include insufficient experience, lack of appropriate facilities, and limited access to specialists. This highlights the need for enhanced periodontal education and resources for general dentists to improve patient care.