Periodontitis and aging: reviewing recent evidence.
This review critically examines recent research on the relation between age and periodontitis. It concludes that some loss of periodontal attachment and alveolar bone is to be expected in older persons, but age alone in a healthy adult does not lead to a critical loss of periodontal support. Although moderate loss of alveolar bone and periodontal attachment is common in the elderly, severe periodontitis is not a natural consequence of aging.
Burt
B A
BA
Program in Dental Public Health, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109-2029.
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017622:Periodontal Attachment Loss / Q000503:physiopathology; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010519:Periodontium / Q000502:physiology*; D017678:Sex Distribution