title: Periodontal status of older Floridians attending senior activity centers.
abstract: Older adults attending senior activity centers in Florida cooperated for a questionnaire and an oral examination. The 671 ambulatory dentate seniors in this report had a mean of 17.0 teeth. The mean attachment loss was 3.5 mm from the cementoenamel junction (CEJ), and the mean pocket depth was 2.1 mm. 24% of the sample had at least 1 site with attachment loss of 7 or more mm; the majority of these persons had only 1 or 2 severely-involved sites. The extent and severity index of attachment loss (2 mm or more threshold) was (88%, 3.7 mm). Use of pocket depths alone would have substantially underestimated prevalence of periodontitis in this older sample. Sites with severe attachment loss were typically not accompanied by severe pockets. Evidence of a history of moderate disease in this cross-sectional study was prevalent (62% of persons had a maximum attachment loss of 4-6 mm), as was evidence of a history of severe disease (24% had at least 1 site with attachment loss of 7 mm or more).
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, College of Dentistry, University of Florida, Gainesville.
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Gilbert
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Heft
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003631:Day Care, Medical; D003728:Dental Calculus / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida / Q000453:epidemiology; D005884:Gingival Hemorrhage / Q000453:epidemiology; D005889:Gingival Recession / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007576:Jaw, Edentulous, Partially / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D010512:Periodontal Index; D010514:Periodontal Pocket / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D015995:Prevalence