Dental OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination) Practice Exam

After periodontal treatment, what factor may indicate a need for further intervention?

1. Presence of new dental caries

2. Retention of subgingival plaque

3. Post-treatment bleeding

4. Symptom of tooth mobility

The correct answer is: Retention of subgingival plaque

The presence of retention of subgingival plaque is a significant factor that may indicate a need for further intervention after periodontal treatment. This is because subgingival plaque harbors harmful bacteria that can contribute to ongoing periodontal disease. If plaque is not adequately removed, it can lead to the re-establishment of periodontal pockets, inflammation, and potential disease progression despite prior treatment. The persistence of subgingival plaque suggests that the treatment may not have successfully achieved the control of periodontal disease, indicating that additional therapeutic measures or a different treatment approach could be necessary to manage the condition effectively. In contrast, new dental caries, post-treatment bleeding, and tooth mobility, while important considerations in patient management, do not inherently reflect the immediate need for intervention specifically related to periodontal disease progression. New dental caries suggest a separate dental concern, post-treatment bleeding could result from various factors and may not specifically indicate periodontal failure, and tooth mobility might be a consequence of periodontal disease that may have already progressed prior to treatment. Thus, none of these factors are as directly indicative of the need for further periodontal intervention as the retention of subgingival plaque is.