Profiles of periodontal conditions in older age cohorts, measured by CPITN.

Results of more than 80 CPITN surveys from almost 30 countries for the age groups of 45 years and above are assembled. In this first overview, data for the older age cohorts are presented, showing the percentages of persons according to the highest score per person and the mean numbers of sextants affected per person. Results for three age groups are presented: 45-54, 55-64 and 65-74 years, with two additional surveys in older persons. There were marked variations in periodontal conditions between surveys. The assumed differences between industrialized and non-industrialized countries with regard to periodontal diseases did not show in the data examined. Also, the expected increase in periodontal destruction with increasing age was not reflected in values for pocketing or deep pocketing in the successive age groups. Some variations between surveys was also noted for the rate of tooth loss, expressed in the mean number of excluded CPITN sextants. However, on average, at age 50, almost one sextant was excluded, increasing to 1.5 sextants at 60 and almost 2.5 sextants at age 70. It is therefore suggested that the progress of periodontal destruction with age is not shown in an increase in periodontal CPITN scores, but in increased tooth loss, specified by an increasing number of excluded CPITN sextants. For the age group 65-74 years, this results in, on average, almost half of all sextants being excluded. Of the remaining sextants, approximately half had shallow and/or deep pockets.