Periodontal condition of the elderly in Finland.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the periodontal condition of the elderly in Finland and its association with sociodemographic factors.


METHODS
The study was based on a subpopulation of 1460 persons (748 dentate persons) aged > or =65 years who participated in a nationally representative Health 2000 Survey in Finland. The data for this study were collected by means of an interview and a clinical oral examination.


RESULTS
Seventy-three percent of the participants in this study had gingival bleeding in at least one sextant. The proportion of participants with no teeth with deepened periodontal pockets > or =4 mm deep was 31%. Twenty-eight percent of the participants had one to three teeth with deepened periodontal pockets > or =4 mm deep, 15% had four to six and 26% had > or =7. At the individual level, a high number of teeth with deepened periodontal pockets was associated with sociodemographic factors such as high age, intermediate or higher education, and living in a rural area.


CONCLUSIONS
At a national level, the greatest need for periodontal treatment presently derives from persons aged 65-74 years and/or those with low education, due to their high representation in the elderly population.
Syrjälä
Anna-Maija Hannele
AM
Department of Periodontology, Institute of Dentistry, University of Oulu, Finland. Anna-Maija.Syrjala@oulu.fi
Ylöstalo
Pekka
P
Knuuttila
Matti
M
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D005884:Gingival Hemorrhage / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007576:Jaw, Edentulous, Partially / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D009066:Mouth, Edentulous / Q000453:epidemiology; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010514:Periodontal Pocket / Q000453:epidemiology; D012423:Rural Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data