Profiles of periodontal conditions in adults measured by CPITN.

Results of almost 100 CPITN surveys in more than 50 countries for the age group 35-44 years, stored in the WHO Global Oral Data Bank as of 1 August 1990, are assembled. They are presented in the form of graphs showing the percentages of persons according to the highest score per person and arranged by country according to WHO regions. It is hoped that these overviews provide a frame of reference for the evaluation of periodontal conditions in populations and population subgroups. Calculus and shallow pocketing were the most frequently observed conditions. With a few exceptions, the percentages of persons and the mean number of sextants per person with deep pockets were small to very small. The assumed differences between industrialized and non-industrialized countries with regard to periodontal health were not reflected in the survey data examined. Severe periodontal destruction seems to be a limited problem, seldom leading to tooth loss before the age of 50. For the large majority in most of the populations observed, the progress of periodontal diseases seems to be compatible with the retention of a natural dentition into older age. Nevertheless, the periodontal problem is of considerable magnitude and importance, as 5-20 per cent of populations are affected by a serious, irreversible condition at the age of 40, which is a high percentage compared with almost every other disease that afflicts mankind.