Periodontal conditions in a 7-19-year-old student population in Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil, 1995

Abstract

The Purpose of this study was to assess the periodontal conditions and treatment needs in 7-19-year-old Brazilian school children and adolescents enrolled in the urban public schools in Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil, in 1995, to provide baseline data for monitoring changes in their periodontal status. A sample of 1,956 school children and adolescents aged 7 to 19 years was examined by two examiners previously calibrated using the CPITN (Community Pe riodontal Index of Treatment Needs). The results showed that bleeding was the most frequently observed periodontal condition in all age groups, with a mean of 3.0 sextants affected at age 15. The presence of calculus increased with age. In the 15-19-year age group, calculus and shallow pockets (3.5-5.5 mm) were observed in 39.8 per cent and 1.6 per cent of the adolescents, respectively. In order to achieve the WHO oral health goal of no more than one sextant scoring GPITN 1 (bleeding) or 2 (presence of dental calculus) at age 15, priority should be focused on primary prevention programs to benefit the periodontal health of the majority.

The relationship between oral hygiene level and gingivitis in children

“…15 A relatively high percentage of children with healthy periodontium (70.43%) was observed by Varas et al in children aged 6-8 years (Santiago Metropolitan Region in Chile), while markedly lower values -22.5% -were reported by Dini et al in Brazilian 7-year-olds. 5,16 A still lower percentage was noted by Anupriya et al: in only 9.4% of the children aged 5-8 years. 14 Our own studies showed healthy periodontium to be present in 91.32% of the studied population of the 7-year-olds from a big city.…”

“…Still higher values were quoted by Varas et al, Anupriya et al and Dini et al, who observed gingival bleeding in 27.49%, 71.9% and 76.8% of children, respectively. 5,14,16 Contrary to our study, in the research by Arnlaugsson and Magnusson, as well as Hemadneh and Ayesh, the gingival bleeding index (GBI) was used. 2,4 Among Icelandic 6-yearolds of Reykjavik examined by Arnlaugsson and Magnusson, healthy gums were noted in 26% of the children.…”

“…The percentage of healthy periodontium at that age ranges between 9% and 80%. 5,[14][15][16] Składnik-Jankowska and Kaczmarek evaluated the periodontal status of 7-year-olds from southern Poland and found healthy periodontium in 80% of them, with no statistically significant difference between genders. 15 A relatively high percentage of children with healthy periodontium (70.43%) was observed by Varas et al in children aged 6-8 years (Santiago Metropolitan Region in Chile), while markedly lower values -22.5% -were reported by Dini et al in Brazilian 7-year-olds.…”

“…The oral hygiene status was assessed using the simplified Debris Index (DI-S) of Green and Vermillon. 6 The teeth were examined as recommended by the index (the labial surfaces of teeth 11,16,26, and 31, and the lingual surfaces of teeth 36 and 46). The criteria for classifying DI-S scores of 0-3 were as follows: oral cleanliness was considered "very good" if the DI-S score was ≤0.2; "good" if the DI-S score was 0.3-0.6; "fair" when it showed 0.7-1.8; and "poor" when the score ranged between 1.9 and 3.0.…”

“…To avoid recording false pockets, which are common around erupting teeth, 3 codes were used: code 0 -healthy (no bleeding on probing and no calculus); code 1 -bleeding on probing (no calculus); code 2 -dental calculus present. The evaluation was performed on 6 index teeth (teeth 16,11,26,36,31,46). According to the WHO classification, the highest CPI code was applied.…”