Aim: To evaluate behavioural and educational interventions used to
improve self-care in adult periodontitis patients in comparison with
conventional instruction. Methods: A systematic electronic search of
empirical studies that were published up to June 2017 using the MEDLINE
database was performed. The reference lists of all of the included
studies and articles from six separate journals were manually searched.
Results: A total of 1806 articles were identified. Six articles
fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The interventions used
in periodontal treatment had theoretical backgrounds of cognitive
behavioural approach, self-regulation theory of Leventhal, motivational
interviewing and a client self-care commitment model. The control group
in each study was described receiving conventional information. The
outcomes of the interventions were classified into three categories: 1)
clinical findings 2) self-reported self-care and 3) patient evaluations
of the intervention. The behavioural intervention groups seemed to
perform slightly better than the control groups when clinical outcome
measures such as the presence of plaque or number of periodontal pockets
were used. Furthermore, behavioural interventions increased patient
reported compliance (e.g. effectiveness of self-care and frequency of
interdental cleaning). The different behavioural techniques all seemed
to work more effectively than conventional instruction. No behavioural
technique could be identified superior to the other. Conclusions: The
behavioural interventions seem to be beneficial for patient adherence
and may therefore improve periodontal treatment success. However, there
is a need to further explore the use of different methods in studies
with larger sample sizes, longer follow-up times and both behavioural
and clinical outcome measures.