The periodontal disease problem. A comparison between industrialised and developing countries.
There is no reason to believe that periodontal diseases in industrialised and developing countries are in principle different. That is, not in the sense that the problem is caused by a different set of periodontal diseases, with different micro-organisms and a different natural history, needing a different approach towards prevention and treatment. Indeed, from a public health perspective the relative similarities in periodontal conditions around the world are far more striking than the differences. The view that periodontal diseases are a much more prevalent and a severe problem in the developing countries seems to be true only in terms of poorer oral hygiene and considerably greater calculus retention, already at a young age, but not so clear for periodontal destruction in adults.
WHO Collaborating Centre for Oral Health Services Research, University of Groningen, Gieten, The Netherlands.
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D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D003728:Dental Calculus / Q000453:epidemiology; D019049:Developed Countries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003906:Developing Countries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy; D015995:Prevalence; D011634:Public Health