The extent and correlates of gingival recession in non-institutionalised Thai elderly

The purpose of this study was to describe the extent and distribution of gingival recession in Thai elderly. As part of a longitudinal geriatric oral health study, 453 community-dwelling dentate subjects, 51-92 years of age, were examined at baseline in 1999. All remaining teeth were measured on four periodontal sites to assess the amount of gingival recession. The percentage of sites with recession increased with age from 49.6% in 51-59 years of age to 72.0% in 70+ years of age (P < 0.001). Males exhibited greater levels of recession than females (P < 0.001). Regression analysis for the percentage of buccal sites with recession showed that recession was associated with age, gender, cervical abrasion, and amount of calculus (R2 = 0.15, P < 0.001). However, the regression model for the percentage of all sites with recession did not find an association between recession and cervical abrasion. Hence, it appears that gingival recession on different locations may involve different processes.