Periodontal condition in Turkish recruits.

The periodontal condition of 300 Turkish troops was investigated using the modified Ramfjord Periodontal Disease Index. In addition, the gingival condition, presence and quantity of plaque and calculus, location and depth of periodontal pockets, tooth mobility, presence and severity of wear facets, diastema magnitude and the DMFT Index were determined. The average PDI was 3.8. Nearly 98% of the recruits suffered from gingivitis, 68% of whom exhibited moderate to severe inflammation without involvement of deeper structures. Moderate plaque accumulation and heavy calculus deposits were observed. An average DMFT of 5.09 was found. Little correlation was found between the relatively low DMFT rate and the Plaque Index.