Periodontal conditions in 35-44-yr-old adults in France, 1993

A national study was carried out in France in 1993 to assess the periodontal status of the population aged 35-44 yr. The study took part in the Second International Collaborative Study of Oral Health Outcomes developed and coordinated by the World Health Organization. The representative sample was composed of 1000 subjects. The Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN) index was used. Gingivitis prevalence was high (80.4%) while 26.6% of dentate subjects had shallow pockets (4-5 mm). Deep pockets (> 6 mm) were rare (1.6%) concerning on average 0.1 sextant per subject; 87.5% of the 994 dentate adults needed periodontal treatment. Oral health education and scaling should reduce periodontal pathology in this population group.