Periodontal treatment needs in Argentine adult subjects

The aim of the present study was to assess the periodontal treatment needs of the population that spontaneously sought treatment from general dentists. 3694 patients (2000 females and 1494 males, age range between 18 and 84 years) were evaluated using the Community Periodontal Index (CPI). Data were reported according to the percentage of subjects with the highest Score: 14.3% presented pocket depth > or = 5.5 mm (Score 4), 26.4% pocket depth between 3.5 and 5.5 (Score 3), 38.3% presented pockets < or = 3.5 mm with calculus or overhanging restorations (Score 2), 17.2% pockets < or = 3.5 mm with bleeding upon probing without calculus (Score 1) and 3.2% were healthy (Score 0). Analyzing the data according to age it was observed that in the group > 40 years the percentage of patients with Score 4 was higher (25.1%) compared to the other two groups of 18-34 years (6.4%) and 34-45 years (14.3%). Only 16.4% of the patients consulted for periodontal reasons (gingival bleeding or tooth mobility), whereas 88% requested treatment for other reasons (pain, caries, esthetics, replacement of teeth, etc.). However 77% of the patients in this last group needed periodontal treatment. 96.8% of the patients attending the general dentistry office needed periodontal treatment: 17.2% oral hygiene instruction, 65.2% oral hygiene instruction and scaling and 14.3% complex treatment.