Decision making for optimal treatment for patients with periodontitis based on recent classification criteria

Objective: Besides clinical factors, decision-making process in daily practice is affected by non-clinical factors such as experience and educational levels that cause variations amongst clinicians. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy and agreement in diagnosis and treatment planning process of the dental students and periodontal experts with different education levels and clinical experience. Material and Methods: An anonymous survey of 10 periodontitis cases was given to 15 participants (5 periodontal experts (PE), 5 postgraduate periodontology students (PS), and 5 undergraduate dental students (DS)) and asked them to classify each case and mark their diagnosis and treatment planning. Consensus diagnosis and treatment plan used as a gold-standard was prepared by two experienced periodontists. The accuracy of responses was detected by referring to the gold-standard and inter-examiner agreements were assessed. Results: Except for the diagnosis of grade in the PE group (p=0.012), no significant difference was found between groups in terms of periodontitis diagnosis. In treatment responses, PE group gave more accurate answers compared to others. The agreement levels of all examiners for stage, grade, and extent were fair (κ=0.366, 0.222, and 0.287, respectively). Treatment planning showed low agreement (κ