[Relationship between age and clinical symptoms of periodontal disease]

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between age and clinical symptoms of periodontal disease as they were evaluated by themselves when they were presented for periodontal treatment in the private clinics of the authors during a period of ten years. A questionnaire was designed for this reason which included questions related to gingival bleeding, gingival enlargement, tooth migration and tooth mobility. 230 questionnaires were evaluated from a total of 1175 consisting a representative sample. The answers were evaluated in relation to the age of the patient. The results showed that a positive and significant relationship exists between the age and gingival bleeding, gingival enlargement, tooth migration and tooth mobility. The patients are becoming aware of two, three or four symptoms of periodontal disease during the fifth decade of life (40-49 years old). The symptoms that are mainly appearing in the groups of patients below forty are the gingival bleeding and the gingival enlargement. After the age of forty the main symptoms are tooth mobility and tooth migration. In conclusion, the results of this study indicate: a) that age could be a parameter that can influence the symptoms of periodontal disease, and b) that the bigest percentage of patients are becoming aware of the presence of symptoms of periodontal disease in a later age and when the disease has progress remarkably.