CLINICAL-PARAMETERS ASSOCIATED WITH PERIODONTITIS IN UNTREATED PERSONS

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between clinical parameters and periodontitis in a population receiving no reg ular prophylactic dental care. From a sample of 164 adult rural and ur ban Tanzanian subjects aged between 30 and 44 years, 16% were identifi ed with periodontitis according to the criteria that at least three te eth had a probing depth greater than or equal to 6 mm. Subjects with p eriodontitis in this sample exhibited a much higher bleeding tendency (at sites where periodontal pockets did not exist) than subjects witho ut periodontitis, but dental plaque scores were comparable. Sensitivit y and specificity values and odds ratios indicated a strong associatio n between bleeding on probing and the presence of periodontitis. This may indicate that people from a population deprived of regular dental care with a high tendency of bleeding on probing are more prone to dev elop periodontitis. Whether bleeding on probing could serve as a marke r in this population to identify subjects who develop future periodont al destruction has to be explored through further longitudinal studies .