Periodontal treatment needs of 35-year-old citizens in Oslo

The periodontal condition was evaluated according to the PI and the Periodontal Treatment Need System (PTNS) in a random sample of 35-year-old citizens of Oslo. The study demonstrated that periodontal disease was a major dental health problem despite the fact that 88.9% of the subjects visited a dentist regularly. No statistically significant differences were found in PI, PTNS and OHI-S values among the different sexes and educational groups. Although the majority of the subjects (77.8%) brushed their teeth more than once a day, the oral hygiene status was not satisfactory (mean OHI-S 1.56). The frequency of toothbrushing did not influence the mean PI scores. Dental hard and soft tissue lesions related to toothbrushing were found in 30.0 and 6.8% of the subjects respectively, and more often among persons brushing more than once a day than among persons brushing less frequently.