Bengt Sjodin

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.

Presence of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans in young individuals: a 16-year clinical and microbiological follow-up study

AIM To look for clinical signs of periodontal disease in young adults who exhibited radiographic bone loss and detectable numbers of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans in their primary dentition. MATERIAL AND METHODS Periodontal status and radiographic bone loss were examined in each of the subjects 16 years after the baseline observations. Techniques for anaerobic and selective culture, and checkerboard, were used to detect periodontitis-associated bacterial species. The isolated A. actinomycetemcomitans strains were characterized by polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS Signs of localized attachment loss were found in three out of the 13 examined subjects. A. actinomycetemcomitans was recovered from six of these subjects and two of these samples were from sites with deepened probing depths and attachment loss. Among the isolated A. actinomycetemcomitans strains, serotypes a-c and e, but not d or f, were found. None of the isolated strains belonged to the highly leucotoxic JP2 clone, and one strain lacked genes for the cytolethal distending toxin. CONCLUSIONS This study indicates that the presence of A. actinomycetemcomitans and early bone loss in the primary dentition does not necessarily predispose the individual to periodontal attachment loss in the permanent dentition.