All 30- to 59-year old subjects (N = 757) from a representative sample of adult Finns (total sample = 1,105), showing advanced periodontitis (marginal bone loss more than 30%, n = 125), were compared with their age- and sex-matched pairs showing no marginal bone loss (n = 291) with respect to the number of intact teeth (no caries experience) present. Both male (n = 83) and female (n = 42) subjects with advanced periodontitis had more intact teeth and intact molars than their matched pairs (113 men and 178 women) (P less than or equal to 0.01 for intact teeth and P less than or equal to 0.05 for intact molars in both groups). The total number of teeth present did not differ significantly between the compared groups. Contrary to earlier hypotheses, our results suggest that periodontitis and dental caries do not necessarily share a common etiology.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.