title: Sense of coherence and incidence of periodontal disease in adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess whether sense of coherence (SOC) predicts the 4-year incidence of periodontal disease in adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from 848 adults who participated in both the Health 2000 Survey and the Follow-Up Study of Finnish Adults' Oral Health were analysed. At baseline, participants provided information on demographic characteristics, education level, the SOC scale, pre-existing diabetes and dental behaviours. The outcome measure was the change in number of teeth with pocketing ≥ 4 mm over 4 years over 4 years. Two separate sets of longitudinal analyses were conducted. The first set was conducted with all the 848 subjects who participated in both surveys and the second set was conducted with the 305 subjects who had no pocketing ≥ 4 mm at baseline.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the full sample, baseline SOC was not associated with change in number of teeth with pocketing over 4 years (coefficient from linear regression: -0.28; 95% CI: -0.74 to 0.18). Similarly, baseline SOC was not associated with number of teeth with pocketing after 4 years (Rate Ratio: 0.94; 95%CI: 0.80 to 1.11) among those with no pocketing at baseline.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This 4-year prospective study suggests that SOC measured in adulthood does not explain change in the number of teeth with periodontal pocketing ≥ 4 mm.
authors.affiliation: Division of Population and Patient Health, King's College London Dental Institute, London, UK.
authors.forename: Jai
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kanhai
authors.forename: Victoria E
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: Anna L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Suominen
authors.forename: Matti
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Knuuttila
authors.forename: Antti
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Uutela
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bernabé
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003729:Dental Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D010514:Periodontal Pocket / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D060685:Sense of Coherence; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: Finland; adult; cohort studies; periodontal diseases; sense of coherence