title: Alveolar bone levels in a geriatric Swedish population.
abstract: A random sample of non-institutionalized elderly people in Orebro County, Sweden, has been examined. The present report studies marginal bone levels in this population. Measurements were made on intra-oral radiographs. The marginal bone levels of the teeth were measured in fifths between the apex and a point 1 mm apical to the cemento-enamel junction. More than 87% of the teeth received a bone score 1 or 2, which indicates that more than 60% of the original bone level was remaining. About half of the teeth were given the bone score of 1, i.e., having more than 80% of the original bone level intact. For those subjects receiving regular dental treatment, the average bone level index (mean bone score for the subject) was lower than for the others. The general bone level of a subject is described by a classification which takes into consideration only the best 70% of the teeth. Using these bone level classes, people aged 65-74 years positively differ from older groups. The % of subjects belonging to the better bone level classes increases with increasing number of remaining teeth. In a multiple stepwise regression analysis, the number of teeth is the only predictor having significant correlation to bone level index. A variable such as regular treatment in itself seems to have little influence.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Palmqvist
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sjödin
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000539:Alveolar Process / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002508:Cephalometry; D003729:Dental Care; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007575:Jaw, Edentulous / Q000473:pathology; D007576:Jaw, Edentulous, Partially / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009066:Mouth, Edentulous / Q000473:pathology; D011859:Radiography; D013548:Sweden