PERIODONTAL-DISEASE AMONG NEW-ENGLAND ELDERS

MUCH OF THE EXISTING ORAL EPIDEMIOLOGIC literature is limited by havin g inadequate numbers of the oldest-old in their sample, having used ru dimentary periodontal measures, or not having examined probability sam ples of community-dwelling elders. The New England Elders Dental Study (NEEDS) is the first study that documents the periodontal disease sta tus of a probability sample of 554 adults aged 70 to 96 living within an entire U.S. Public Health Service region. The NEEDS study revealed substantially higher estimates of periodontal destruction among older adults than previous national studies would suggest. These results are consistent with several papers in the literature that suggest that pe riodontal disease rates are on the increase in older adults. In the co ming decades dentistry should be prepared to meet the increasing need and demand for periodontal services in the growing older population.