Utilization of dental services as a risk factor for periodontitis

The relation between utilization of dental services from community dentists and the extent and severity of alveolar bone loss is reported for a panel of men followed for over 6 years. Oral health data were collected by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Dental Longitudinal Study, which began in 1969 and still continues. Participants have received regular oral examinations approximately every 3 years. A variety of oral health conditions were assessed, including plaque, calculus, gingival inflammation, probing depth, tooth mobility, clinical attachment level, and alveolar bone loss. Utilization data were abstracted from the dental records of dental offices that participants attended from 1979 through 1988. Multivariate modeling as well as comparisons of high utilizers and non-utilizers indicate that utilization of routine diagnostic and preventive services was not predictive of the extent and severity of periodontitis.