A 10-YEAR STUDY OF THE PROGRESSION OF DESTRUCTIVE PERIODONTAL-DISEASEIN ADULT AND ELDERLY CHINESE

THIS STUDY DESCRIBES THE PROGRESSION Of destructive periodontal diseas e among Chinese aged 20 to 80 with limited access to dental health fac ilities and minimal traditions for oral hygiene procedures. These indi viduals were followed for 10 years to determine whether the rates for progression of periodontal disease were markedly different than for po pulations with more access to oral health care. At baseline, participa nts had been examined for tooth mobility, plaque, calculus, gingival c onditions, attachment levels, and probing depths on 4 sites of each to oth present. These probing depth and attachment level recordings were repeated at follow-up, although third molars were excluded from examin ation. A total of 398 persons remained dentate at follow-up. The analy sis demonstrated that virtually all subjects experienced greater than or equal to 2 nun attachment loss over the 10-year period, and frequen tly in a large proportion of the sites present. Attachment loss greate r than or equal to 3 mm was also widespread, but the distribution of p ersons according to the extent of greater than or equal to 3 mm attach ment loss was positively skewed in all age groups. Positive. skewness was even more pronounced when attachment:loss of greater than or equal to it mm was considered, Some types of teeth, such as mandibular inci sors and maxillary molars, had higher progression rates than did, for example, maxillary incisors, The mean individual attachment loss rates did not differ significantly between age groups, and were remarkably similar to those reported for populations whose access to and traditio n for oral health care is widespread.