Marginal bone loss in the primary dentition of patients with juvenile periodontitis

Abstract 118 patients with juvenile periodontitis (JP), diagnosed when the patients were 13–19 years old, were studied retrospectively with respect to radio-graphic marginal bone loss in the primary dentition, experienced when the patients were 5–12 years old. 168 other 13–19 year old patients without any signs of bone Joss in the permanent teeth were used as a reference group. The JP patients were classified into 2 groups according to the number of sites with bone loss in the permanent dentition: JP group I having 1 site with bone loss (n=45) and JP group II having 2 sites with bone loss (n=73). It was found that 35 patients (52%) of JP group II displayed 1 or more sites with bone loss in the primary dentition during the age of 5–12 years. The corresponding numbers for JP group I and the reference group were 9 (20%) and 8 (5%) respectively. These findings indicate that juvenile periodontitis, at least in some individuals, may have its onset already in the primary dentition.