General dentists and periodontal referrals.

Questionnaire data were collected from 160 MDA members. The data showed that 16 percent of the respondents had not made a periodontal referral during the last month, 67 percent had made one to five referrals, 7 percent between six and 10 referrals, and 10 percent referred more than 10 patients. The number of referrals did not differ as a function of patients' disease characteristics or dentists' periodontal treatment patterns. They were affected by considerations of practice characteristics and patient's oral hygiene efforts. In conclusion, general dentists differ greatly in the number of periodontal referrals they make. Referral frequencies were not affected by diagnostic considerations or treatment patterns.