Periodontal treatment need in a Finnish industrial population.

A periodontal study was conducted in a paper mill in Finland. To adapt the Periodontal Treatment Need System (PTNS) to a Finnish adult population the estimates of Finnish periodontologists were used. The mean estimate of periodontal treatment need was 97 +/- 58 (s.d.) min per person and 32 +/- 18 min per jaw segment. Periodontal treatment need increased with age. No significant differences in periodontal treatment need by sex, education, type of employment, regularity of working hours or frequency of dental visits were observed. Adjusted family income and toothbrushing frequency did not produce significant differences in periodontal treatment need, except in the group having four dentulous jaw segments. The groups using sugar, other sweetening agents or neither of these, mainly in coffee or tea, differed significantly: the non-users of sugar had lowest treatment time and those who used other sweetening agents than sugar had highest treatment time.