Hospital Periodontics A Survey of Hospital Utilization by American Academy of Periodontology Members

A survey of American Academy of Periodontology members was conducted to determine: (1) the number of Academy members with hospital staff privileges, (2) the frequency with which Academy members use hospital facilities, and (3) the amount of training Academy members have had in physical evaluation and assessment of medical risk. The results indicate that over half of all Academy members have hospital staff privileges, with the majority of these being active Academy members. One third of the 945 Academy members who perform dentistry in a hospital operating room treat only one to two cases a year. Fewer than one fifth of the questionnaire respondents who perform dentistry in an operating room treat more than 12 cases per year. Approximately 95% of Academy members believe that periodontal training programs should include a course in physical evaluation and assessment of medical risk. The amount of formal training in physical evaluation and assessment of medical risk varies widely among Academy members. Over one third of 1,144 questionnaire respondents have had no formal training in physical evaluation and assessment of medical risk, while fewer than one tenth have had over 80 hours of formal training.