CPITN assessments in institutionalised elderly people in Kitakyushu, Japan

A CPITN survey was conducted on 1958 institutionalised elderly people aged 59 years and older at 29 of the 30 public and private institutions in the city of Kitakyushu, Japan. About 60 per cent of the sample was edentulous, and the prevalence of periodontal conditions was high. The percentages of dentate subjects with healthy gingivae, bleeding on probing, calculus, shallow pockets, and deep pockets were 3, 4, 32, 52, and 9 per cent respectively. Half the sextants in the dentate subjects were scored as excluded (less than two teeth), indicating that many teeth were missing. Only very few sextants were healthy. These findings indicate the importance of preventive programmes for periodontal diseases in the younger generations, because (a) dental care for the elderly population becomes more difficult with increasing age and (b) periodontal care, if it is available at all, is provided too late for most people.