Prevalence and treatment needs of periodontal disease in employees of supermarkets in Japan.

In 1987, a survey was carried out to determine the prevalence and treatment needs of periodontal diseases in 2,684 (997 males and 1,687 females) employees of 57 supermarkets in Japan. The aim of this survey was to obtain fundamental data for planning preventive programs for periodontal diseases in the Japanese population. Most of the subjects showed some signs of periodontal disease. The percentages of persons having pathologic pockets 4 mm or deeper increased with age, and reached about 50% in the 45- to 64-year-olds. The percentage of persons affected was similar between the males and females, but the percentage of persons having pathologic pockets tended to be higher in the males than in the females. These findings indicate that the prevalence of periodontal diseases is extremely high among the Japanese population, and that primary prevention of periodontal disease during school days is required in order to maintain the adults' periodontal health.