Oral hygiene and gingivitis in a Swedish adult population 1973, 1983 and 1993

Abstract. The periodontal condition of the inhabitants of Jönköping County, Sweden was followed for 20 years by means of 3 cross-sectional investigations performed in 1973, 1983, and 1993. The study comprised individuals in the age groups 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70 years. The number of dentate individuals was 537 in 1973, 550 in 1983, and 552 in 1993. All individuals participating in the studies were examined clinically and radiographically. They also filled out a questionnaire about dental care habits, socio-economic status, and general health. A clear reduction in the plaque score was seen between 1973 and 1983 in all age groups. With one exception, no further significant change in plaque levels was found between 1983 and 1993: the increase in plaque among the 20-year-olds was significant. In 1993 the mean % of surfaces with plaque was between 30% and 40% in all age groups. Gingivitis values corresponded well with the values of dental plaque: the same pattern with a clear reduction in gingivitis score was seen in all age groups between 1973 and 1983, and an increase in the mean frequency of gingival inflammation between 1983 and 1993 was seen in the 20-year age group. 30% of the individuals in this age group had more than 50% gingivitis in 1993 compared with 9% of the individuals in 1983. The 20-year-olds were further analyzed in a linear regression model using gingivitis as a dependent variable against some socio-economic, general health, and dental care variables associated with poor oral hygiene and gingivitis. In 1993, the most important explanatory variable was gender: significantly more males than females had higher gingivitis scores. The second most important explanatory variable was toothbrushing habits. Together they explained 10.9% of the variance. The multivariate analysis did not reveal approximal cleaning habits to be significant, probably due to their strong connection to gender and toothbrushing habits. In the 1983 sample, no significant explanatory variables were found. It was concluded from this data that it is important not only to renew but also to direct preventive guidelines more towards young adults who have no previous extensive experience of oral disease so that they will not be excluded from dental care and their dental health thereby jeopardised. In addition to preventive programmes aimed at the population as a whole, individual programmes based on risk targeting are also necessary to reduce the number of people developing dental disease and to increase the quality of dental care.     

Risk of severe periodontal disease in a Swedish adult population

Abstract. In this study, potential risk factors for severe periodontal disease were identified in a cross-sectional sample from the county of Jönköping, Sweden, 547 adults 20–70 years of age were categorised clinically and radiographically by level of periodontal disease experience. These levels were used to divide the sample into groups – individuals without any reduction in periodontal bone level (60%) and those with severe periodontal bone loss (13%) – which were then used in univeriate and multivariate logistic regression analyses as dependent variable. Demographic, socio-economic, general health, smoking habits, clinical, and dental care variables were used in the different regression analyses. In the univariate model, age (20–70 years) was found to be correlated with more severe periodontal disease experience (odds ratio: 1.13; 95% CI; 1.10–1.17). The association with periodontal disease was more pronounced for the older age groups (50, 60, and 70 years), A negative financial situation was also related to severe periodontal bone loss when regressed univariately (odds ratio 2.20 [95%: 1.04–4.68]). Moderate-heavy smoking (3=10 cigarettes/day) appeared to be associated with severe periodontal destruction with an odds ratio of 9.78 (95% CI: 3.62–36.42), Of the clinical variables in the univariate model, higher mean levels of supragingival dental plaque and the presence of subgingival calculus were related to more severe periodontal disease with odds ratios of 1.02 (95%: 1.01–1.03) and 2.96 (95% 1.50–5.88), respectively When the same variables were regressed multivariately, age (continuous) (odds ratio 1.17 [95% CI: 1.12–1.22]). moderate-heavy smoking (odds ratio 11.84 [95% CI: 4.19–33.50]), and higher mean levels of plaque (odds ratio 1.02 [95% CI: 1.00–1.03]) remained significant. Light smoking (1–9 cigarettes/day) was not significantly associated with severe periodontal disease in the 2 regression models. The present study demonstrated that smoking, greater age, and higher mean levels of plaque are potential risk factors for severe periodontal disease in this specific population.     

Risk of severe periodontal disease in a Swedish adult population

Abstract. The aim of this study was to identify risk factors for severe periodontal disease progression in a Swedish adult population between the years 1973 and 1988–91. In 1973, a random sample of 474 dentate adults living in Jönko ping County was examined clinically and radiographically. A questionnaire on demographic and socio-economic status, general health, and dental care habits was also used. During the years 1988–1991, 361 of the individuals examined in 1973 were re-examined. A total of 506 (6%) teeth or in average 1.4 teeth per subject were lost between the 2 examinations. 4 subjects had become completely edentulous. The mean loss of teeth in the different age groups 20–60 years was 0.2, 0.9, 1.4, 2.3, and 2.6, respectively. The periodontal bone level decreased by age both in 1973 and in 1988–91. The mean annual progression rate was 0.06 mm for all 357 individuals and varied between 0.04 and 0.07 mm per subject in the different age groups. The presence of periodontal disease progression was defined as bone loss of >20% at a proximal site between the 2 examinations. The most prevalent tooth types with bone loss of >20% at proximal sites were the maxillary and mandibular 2nd molars and the 1st maxillary molar, representing a % of 18.0, 12.8, and 13.5, respectively. The degree of association between severe periodontal disease progression and explanatory variables was investigated using logistic regression models. The dependent variable was no progression of periodontal disease or severe periodontal disease progression, i.e., subjects with periodontal bone loss >20% at ≥6 sites. Age was found to be correlated with severe periodontal disease progression by an odds ratio of 1.05 (CI: 1.02–1.07). The frequency of females in the group with severe bone loss was 58% and higher than in the non-progressing group, 50%. Only 9% in the group with no bone loss smoked as compared to 38% in the group of individuals with severe periodontal bone loss. % supragingival plaque, gingival inflammation, and deepened periodontal pockets (≥4 mm) at baseline were related to severe periodontal disease progression by odds ratios of 1.03 (CI: 1.02–1.05), 1.01 (1.00–1.03), and 1.03 (1.00–1.05), respectively. In the multivariate logistic regression model, age (odds ratio 1.13 (CI: 1.06–1.19)), smoking (odds ratio 20.25 (5.07–80.83)), and % pockets ≥4 mm (odds ratio 1.15 (1.04–1.27)) remained significantly associated with severe disease progression. Furthermore, female gender and differences in income level appeared in the multivariate analysis to be related with severe bone loss, with odds ratios of 3.19 (CI: 1.02–9.97) and 8.46 (CI: 1.97–36.37), respectively.     

Frequency distribution of individuals aged 20–70 years according to severity of periodontal disease experience in 1973 and 1983

The aim of this study was to compare changes in periodontal status of a Swedish population over a 10-year period expressed as frequency distributions of individuals according to severity of periodontal disease experience. The study involved 600 randomly selected individuals evenly distributed into age groups 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 years, examined in 1973 and another randomly selected group of 597 individuals similarly age distributed and examined in 1983. Based on clinical data and full mouth intraoral radiographs all individuals were classified into 5 groups according to severity of periodontal disease experience. In 1983, 23% of the individuals were classified as having healthy periodontal tissues, group 1, compared to 8% in 1973. The changes were most pronounced in the age groups 20 and 30 years, among whom 58% and 35%, respectively, were registered as having healthy periodontium in 1983. The prevalence of individuals with gingivitis without signs of lowered periodontal bone level, group 2, was 22% in 1983 compared to 41% in 1973. In all, 49% of the dentate population in 1973 and 45% in 1983 showed no marginal alveolar bone loss. Moderate periodontal bone loss, group 3, was found in 41% of the population in 1983 compared to 47% in 1973. Among 30-, 40-, and 50-year-olds, there were more, and among 60- and 70-year-olds, fewer individuals in this group in 1983 compared to 1973. 96% of the dentate population were classified as belonging to groups 1, 2 or 3 in 1973 compared to 86% in 1983.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Trends over 30 years, 1973-2003, in the prevalence and severity of periodontal disease

Aim: The present investigation presents findings of the prevalence and distribution of gingivitis and periodontitis in a Swedish population over the 30 years 1973–2003. Material and Methods: Four cross‐sectional epidemiological studies in 1973, 1983, 1993, and 2003 were performed in Jönköping, Sweden. Random samples of individuals aged 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80 years were examined clinically and radiographically. Diagnostic criteria were edentulousness, number of teeth, plaque, gingival status, probing pocket depth, gingival recession, alveolar bone level, and classification according to periodontal disease status. Results: In all age groups, the number of edentulous individuals decreased dramatically and the number of teeth increased. Oral hygiene improved considerably. Over the 30 years, the proportion of periodontally healthy individuals increased from 8% in 1973 to 44% in 2003 and the proportion of individuals with gingivitis and moderate periodontitis decreased. There was a non‐significant trend for the proportion of individuals with severe periodontal disease experience (Group 4) to decrease, while the proportion of individuals with advanced periodontitis (Group 5) remained unchanged. Conclusion: Oral hygiene and periodontal health improved significantly in the 20–80‐year age groups over the 30 years 1973–2003.     

The relationship of some negative events and psychological factors to periodontal disease in an adult Swedish population 50 to 80 years of age

Background: Clinical observations and epidemiological studies suggest that experiences of negative life events, especially those manifested as depression, may contribute to an increased susceptibility to periodontal disease. Objective: In the present study, the prevalence of some negative life events and psychological factors and their relation to periodontal disease were investigated. The sample consisted of individuals 50–80 years of age from an extensive cross‐sectional epidemiological study performed in 1993 in the city of Jönköping, Sweden. Method: 298 dentate individuals from the Jönköping study were randomly selected. Clinical and radiographic examinations included registration of the number of existing teeth, plaque index, gingival index, pocket depth, and alveolar bone loss. In addition, a questionnaire about socioeconomic status, life events, and psychological and stress‐related factors was used. Results: The results revealed that, in addition to the well‐documented periodontal disease risk factors such as increased age, oral hygiene status, and smoking, the loss of a spouse (being a widow or widower) and the personality trait of exercising extreme external control were also associated with severe periodontal disease. Conclusion: The findings support recent studies suggesting that traumatic life events such as the loss of a spouse may increase the risk for periodontal disease. Above all, the present results indicate that an individual's ability to cope with stressful stimuli (coping behavior), as measured by the beliefs of locus of control of reinforcements may play a role in the progression of periodontal disease.     

Hibitane in periodontal disease

Abstract It is generally accepted that gingivitis and periodontal disease can be prevented by means of an effective daily plaque control- Also in the treatment of periodontitis plaque control seems to be essential. The plaque-inhibiting capacity of Hibitane is well documented, and the ability of the agent to prevent gingivitis for a relatively short time has been shown. Thus Hibitane is a valuable drug in dentistry in cases when conventional plaque control is difficult or impossible for a limited period of time. The longterm effect of the drug is less known in humans. However, a few studies in selected populations indicate that the effect is preserved after continuous use for several years. Established destructive periodontitis with pocket formation and subgingival plaque seems unaffected by chlorhexidine, but healthy gingival conditions may probably be maintained by two daily applications of the agent. The indications for long-term use of Hibitane in the mouth are still not satisfactorily clarified. Such use must be regarded and controlled as experiments. Although systemic side effects seem to be rare, some embarrassing local adverse effects have been frequently reported. The staining of teeth and fillings constitutes a serious obstacle to a more generalized use of the agent in dental practice. Several modes of application of Hibitane in the mouth have been suggested. However, the pharmacodynamic properties of chlorhexidine as a plaque-inhibitor are dependent on a series of complicated chemical reactions and may in several ways be jeopardized by components of a vehicle. Therefore, reliable clinical investigations proving the effect of commercial products containing Hibitane are indispensable before advocating their use.     

Changes in periodontal disease indicators in 35-year-old Oslo citizens from 1973 to 1984

Periodontal disease indicators were evaluated according to the periodontal treatment need system (PTNS) in random samples of 35-year-old citizens of Oslo in 1973 and 1984. The study indicated that although periodontal disease was a common finding in both samples, there was a significant reduction in score C (indicating need for complex periodontal treatment) in 1984 compared to 1973. Whereas 37.9% of the subjects showed inflamed pockets deeper than 5 mm (score C) in 1973, only 22.9% scored C in 1984 (non-Caucasians excluded). This reduction was most pronounced in females. The mean number of C-quadrants in subjects needing complex periodontal treatment was also reduced from 2.0 in 1973 to 1.7 in 1984. Further analyses of the 1984 sample showed that the mean number of C-quadrants was significantly lower in subjects with low OHI-S scores and in regular dental visitors, whereas sex, years at school, toothbrushing frequency, interdental cleaning habits, previous periodontal therapy, self-experienced need for treatment, health attitude or smoking habits, did not seem to influence the prevalence of score C.     

Marginal alveolar bone height in an adult Swedish population

The purpose of the present cross-sectional epidemiologic study was to assess the interproximal alveolar bone level within the dentition of 732 randomly selected adult individuals, stratified according to gender and age. Full mouth series of periapical radiographs were used for the assessments of the relation alveolar bone height/root length (B/R). A computer/digitizer recording method was utilized for the assessments. The results were presented as (i) mean values per age group and gender, (ii) mean frequency of subjects with sites exceeding certain thresholds of bone loss and (iii) cumulative frequencies of subjects with various number and percentual proportion of sites in relation to different B/R-ratio intervals. The results showed a reduction in mean alveolar bone/root ratio with age. The women had a significantly more favourable mean B/R-ratio than men in the ages above 40 years; the women had, however, more missing sites above age 60 years. By older age, there was observed an increased variation between individual mean B/R-ratios. Only a few subjects had a mean B/R-ratio less than or equal to 50%. A subfraction of the subjects in the different age groups had greater than 20% of their sites below a B/R-ratio of 60%. This fraction increased with age.     

Frequency distribution of individuals aged 20–70 years according to severity of periodontal disease

Abstract This study is an analysis of the findings in an epidemiologic investigation covering a random sample of 600 individuals aged 20–70 years resident in the city of Jönköping, Sweden. The frequency distribution of individuals according to severity of periodontal disease was determined. The analysis was based on clinical registration of gingivitis, pocket depths and qualitative and quantitative changes of the alveolar bone in a full mouth intraoral survey. In the age groups 20 and 30 years, 96% and 85 % of the individuals, respectively, had healthy periodontal tissues or were grouped as having gingivitis without signs of lowering of the periodontal bone level. In the age groups 40, 50 and 70 years none of the subjects was free from signs of gingivitis/periodontitis but, as for all age groups, strikingly few cases (at most 8%) of severe destructive periodontitis were found. The need for periodontal treatment is discussed as well as the role of specific etiologic agents in the development of destructive periodontal disease.     

Experimental gingivitis in relation to susceptibility to periodontal disease

The aim of the present study was to investigate the rate of development of experimentally-induced gingival inflammation in relation to the susceptibility to periodontal disease. By selection according to age, a younger (25-39 years) and an older (45-54 years) age group, with a comparable reduced but healthy periodontium, was selected. This equal amount of periodontal breakdown may suggest that the younger age group represented individuals with a relatively higher degree of susceptibility to periodontal disease. At the start of the experiment, each patient was instructed to abstain from oral hygiene procedures in 1 quadrant of the mouth for a period of 18 days. Results showed that all subjects developed signs of gingival inflammation. Regarding the development of redness and swelling, no differences could be assessed between the 2 age groups. However, analysis of the bleeding scores revealed that bleeding on probing developed more rapidly in the younger age group. It was concluded that those patients who have suffered from a more rapid form of periodontal disease also develop inflammation, in terms of bleeding on probing, more rapidly.     

Predictors of destructive periodontal disease incidence and progression in adult and elderly Chinese

Abstract This study describes some predictors of new and progressing destructive periodontal disease over a 10-year period in rural Chinese. A total of 398 persons aged 20–80 years, who had participated in a baseline survey of tooth mortality, dental caries and periodontal conditions and were still dentate 10 years later, were reexamined for the same parameters as assessed at baseline. Three different threshold values were used to define new and progressing destructive periodontal disease. Irrespective of the threshold used, most persons experienced new disease. Progressing disease was very prevalent when a 2+ mm disease definition was used, but occurred less frequently at the higher threshold levels. The logistic regression models for 2+ and 3+ mm disease were essentially similar, and showed that women, persons with 104 sites or more, and persons with 0–5% sites with 4+ mm attachment levels had a lower risk of disease progression as well as of new disease than did men, persons with few sites and persons with 6% sites or more with attachment levels 4+ mm. The variables sex, number of sites present, percentage of sites with 4+ mm attachment levels, and presence of mobile teeth were predictive for new disease using a 4+ mm definition. Age, percentage of sites with 4+ mm attachment levels and percentage of sites with 4+ mm pockets were predictive for progressing disease using the 4+ mm disease definition.     

A prospective longitudinal study on periodontal bone height changes in a Swedish population

Background, aims: This investigation was performed to assess longitudinal changes in periodontal bone height in an adult population over a period of 17 years. Methods: In 1973, a random sample of 1000 individuals aged 3–70 years in the city of Jönköping, Sweden, was examined clinically and radiographically to assess dental status and treatment needs. Out of the 574 dentate individuals 15–60 years, 433 accepted the invitation and were re‐examined in 1989–91, 4 were edentulous and the study therefore finally included 429 dentate individuals. The examination included full mouth plaque and gingivitis scores and bone height measurements on full mouth intra‐oral radiographs. All age groups except the youngest had very good oral hygiene with 50% or more having plaque and gingivitis scores below 20%. Results: From the age of 20, there was a general pattern of bone height reduction over time corresponding to an annual loss of around 0.1 mm. From the age of 30 years, about 80% of the population had one or more sites with bone loss of 10% or more. Very few individuals, about 5%, exhibited an individual mean bone loss of 2 mm or more. 17% had 6 such sites indicating destructive periodontal disease. These individuals and sites could not be identified in advance based only on previous disease experience.     

The role of the microbiota in periodontal disease

The last decade has witnessed unparalleled advances in our understanding of the complexity of the oral microbiome and the compositional changes that occur in subgingival biofilms in the transition from health to gingivitis and to destructive periodontal disease. The traditional view, which has held sway for the last 2 decades, that disease is characterized by the outgrowth of a consortium, or consortia, of a limited number of potentially pathogenic organisms, has given way to an alternative paradigm. In this new view, the microbiological changes associated with disease represent whole-scale alterations to the overall microbial population structure and to the functional properties of the entire community. Thus, and in common with other microbially mediated diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, the normally balanced, symbiotic, and generally benign commensal microbiome of the tooth-associated biofilm undergoes dysbiosis to a potentially deleterious microbiota. Coincident with progress in defining the microbiology of these diseases, there have been equally important advances in our understanding of the inflammatory systems of the periodontal tissues, their control, and how inflammation may contribute both to the development of dysbiosis and, in a deregulated state, the destructive disease process. One can therefore speculate that the inflammatory response and the periodontal microbiome are in a bidirectional balance in oral health and a bidirectional imbalance in periodontitis. However, despite these clear insights into both sides of the host/microbe balance in periodontal disease, there remain several unresolved issues concerning the role of the microbiota in disease. These include, but are not limited to, the factors which determine progression from gingivitis to periodontitis in a proportion of the population, whether dysbiosis causes disease or results from disease, and the molecular details of the microbial stimulus responsible for driving the destructive inflammatory response. Further progress in resolving these issues may provide significant benefit to diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.     

Differing profiles of periodontal disease in two similar South Pacific island populations

Abstract The periodontal condition of a cross-section of individuals aged between 15–59 years was characterised from clinical and radiographic observations of dental calculus, gingival inflammation, the level of the gingival attachment, alveolar bone loss, teeth missing or requiring extraction for periodontal reasons. The common characteristics of the profile in Tonga and W. Samoa were a high prevalence of the factors common to periodontal disease: calculus and gingival inflammation; a progressive apical movement of the gingival attachment; and alveolar bone Joss. All these criteria showed a positive age dependency with calculus (particularly subgingival calculus) and gingival inflammation being very commonly associated with all tooth types at an early age, less than 30 years. Tooth loss observed was presumed to be previously associated with periodontal disease because the prevalence of dental caries was very low in both populations. Substantial differences were observed in the number of missing teeth between Tongan and Samoan populations, the Tongan subjects having a high rate of tooth loss. From radiographic interpretations of the periodontal conditions fewer subjects in Tonga were assessed as having no disease, and there was a higher prevalence of progressive destructive disease in Tonga than in W. Samoa. The proportion of subjects in both countries with no disease decreased rapidly with age. There was no evident explanation of the greater severity of disease in Tonga than in W. Samoa. The prevalence of microbial plaque, calculus and gingival inflammation was very high in all subjects at all ages particularly over 30 years in both populations.     

Prevalence and severity of periodontal disease in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Previous reports have demonstrated that oral mucosa and periodontal lesions occur in patients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease [CD] and ulcerative colitis [UC]). It is unknown whether periodontal disease is an occasional or regular finding in these patients. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence and severity of periodontal disease in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The periodontal status of 107 consecutive patients seeking treatment for inflammatory bowel disease was assessed. Examination of the mid- and mesiobuccal aspects of one quadrant on one jaw and the contralateral quadrant of the opposite jaw revealed the 93.5% of the CD patients and 95.1% of UC patients had at least one site with probing attachment loss of 2 mm or greater, and a mean probing attachment loss 1.4 +/- 0.9 mm and 1.5 +/- 1.0 mm, respectively. We found that 28.3% of CD patients and 29.5% of UC patients possessed at least 1 site with a pocket probing depth of 4 mm or greater; the mean pocket probing depth in these patients was 2.4 +/- 0.2 mm and 2.3 +/- 0.2 mm, respectively. Compared with the assessment of Oral Health of United States Adults, IBD patients revealed a 11.9% higher prevalence (P less than or equal to 0.01) but 0.6 mm lower severity (P less than or equal to 0.01) of periodontal disease. The magnitudes of these differences suggest no clinical implications for the management of periodontal disease in IBD subjects.     

犬类动物模型在牙周病研究中的应用现状

牙周病是一种常见的感染性口腔疾病,直接危害口腔健康,是造成中国成年人失牙的最重要原因。由于牙周病临床表现复杂,为进一步探讨牙周病的发病机制、病理学特点以及治疗效果和疗效的评价,单凭临床观察是远远不够的,为此,动物模型被广泛应用。近几年来犬类动物模型广泛应用于牙周病研究,本文就犬类动物模型在牙周病研究中的应用现状进行综述。     

An epidemiologic survey of periodontal disease in Dutch adults

An epidemiologic survey was carried out to assess the prevalence and severity of periodontal disease in randomly selected samples of employed populations in the Netherlands. Of the 1,337 persons examined by five examiners, 19.8% were edentulous; 61% of dentate persons had intense gingivitis in an average of 2.4 segments of their mouths; 53% had pockets of 3-6 mm and a further 10.1% had pockets of greater than 6 mm. The prevalence of gingivitis and pocketing increased with increasing age and decreasing levels of education. As no measures of predicting compliance were used and because treatment philosophies differ, no reasonable assessment of treatment needs could be made.