The prevalence of periodontal disease measures in elderly adults, aged 79 and older

From 1996-98, we examined 449 adults (mean age 85 years) from the 1982 Iowa 65+ Rural Health Study, in the field using headlight, mirror, and periodontal probe. Ninety-six of the 342 dentate subjects were excluded from the follow-up examination due to contraindications to probing, and 10 could not be assessed due to refusals, fatigue or other reasons. For all remaining subjects (n=236), attachment loss, defined as recession plus probing depth, was determined at four sites per tooth. Ninety-one percent of the subjects had at least one site with 4+ mm of attachment loss, 45% had one or more sites with attachment loss of 6+ mm, and 15% had 8+ mm of attachment loss. Moderate periodontal disease is prevalent among very old dentate adults while advanced periodontal disease is much less prevalent, suggesting that most periodontal treatment needed by this age group can be provided by general dentists and dental hygienists rather than periodontists.