Remaining teeth, periodontal condition, oral hygiene and tooth cleaning habits in dentate old-age subjects.

The purpose of the present study was to describe the dental health status of a dentate elderly population in terms of remaining teeth, periodontal condition and oral hygiene. In a municipality near Oslo, 371 respondents from a random sample of elderly subjects were clinically examined in 1979/80. Of these, 169 were dentate, 39% had 1-9 teeth and 28% had 20 teeth or more. The mean number of teeth present was 13.8. Income, bone loss and oral hygiene explained most of the variance in the number of remaining teeth whereas age seemed to play a minor rôle. Gingivitis was recorded adjacent to 54% of the teeth, and plaque was visible on 63%. The variance in gingivitis was mainly explained by plaque, calculus and number of remaining teeth, while the amount of plaque was associated with differences in cleaning habits, the number of teeth and social class. 38% of the alveolar bone height was on average lost at teeth present at the time of examination. The variance was mainly explained by presence of plaque and gingivitis. However, the majority of remaining teeth displayed a fair periodontal condition.