Periodontitis in 65-74-year-old victims in Wenchuan, China post-earthquake: implications for service provision.
OBJECTIVE
One year after the Wenchuan, Southwest China earthquake, a cross-sectional study was conducted as a preliminary assessment of the periodontitis of 65- to 74-year-old victims and to compare it with survey data from before the earthquake.


METHODS
A temporary housing, community-based study was conducted. A total of 1495, 65-74-year-old subjects, 740 county and 755 rural, 753 men and 742 women, were included in the study. The data were collected by means of an interviewer-administered questionnaire and an oral examination.


RESULTS
The calculus and gingival bleeding were distinctly increased, and the prevalence of Attachment Loss at 4-5 mm of 77.3%, at 6-8 mm of 44.8%, at 9-11mm of 13.6% and at > or =12 mm of 2.7%, were also much higher than the findings before the earthquake. Additionally, oral hygiene practice, stress, tobacco abuse and nutritional intake had gone into an adverse trend after the earthquake.


CONCLUSIONS
The changes caused by the earthquake exacerbated periodontitis in older people. Therefore, consistently superior oral prevention and treatment service programmes for elderly victims should be constituted and encouraged throughout the temporary housing community.
Liu
Di
D
Preventive Dentistry, West China College of Stomatology Sichuan University, China.
Hu
Deyu
D
Li
Xue
X
Ma
He
H
D000368:Aged; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003728:Dental Calculus / Q000453:epidemiology; D055866:Earthquakes; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005884:Gingival Hemorrhage / Q000453:epidemiology; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006798:Housing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009910:Oral Hygiene / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017622:Periodontal Attachment Loss / Q000453:epidemiology; D010514:Periodontal Pocket / Q000453:epidemiology; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012423:Rural Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology