Prevalence and extent of chronic periodontitis and its risk factors in a Portuguese subpopulation: a retrospective cross-sectional study and analysis of Clinical Attachment Loss
Vanessa Machado,
João Botelho,
António Amaral,
Luís Proença,
Ricardo Alves,
João Rua,
Maria Alzira Cavacas,
Ana Sintra Delgado,
José João Mendes
Affiliations
Vanessa Machado
Department of Periodontology, Clinical Research Unit, Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar Egas Moniz (CiiEM), Instituto Universitário Egas Moniz, Almada, Portugal
João Botelho
Department of Periodontology, Clinical Research Unit, Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar Egas Moniz (CiiEM), Instituto Universitário Egas Moniz, Almada, Portugal
António Amaral
Clinical Research Unit, Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar Egas Moniz (CiiEM), Instituto Universitário Egas Moniz, Almada, Portugal
Luís Proença
Clinical Research Unit, Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar Egas Moniz (CiiEM), Instituto Universitário Egas Moniz, Almada, Portugal
Ricardo Alves
Department of Periodontology, Clinical Research Unit, Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar Egas Moniz (CiiEM), Instituto Universitário Egas Moniz, Almada, Portugal
João Rua
Clinical Research Unit, Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar Egas Moniz (CiiEM), Instituto Universitário Egas Moniz, Almada, Portugal
Maria Alzira Cavacas
Environmental Health, Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar Egas Moniz (CiiEM), Instituto Universitário Egas Moniz, Almada, Portugal
Ana Sintra Delgado
Clinical Research Unit, Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar Egas Moniz (CiiEM), Instituto Universitário Egas Moniz, Almada, Portugal
José João Mendes
Clinical Research Unit, Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar Egas Moniz (CiiEM), Instituto Universitário Egas Moniz, Almada, Portugal
Objectives To assess the prevalence and extent of chronic periodontitis, and its risk factors in a Portuguese subpopulation referred to periodontal examination. Methods This retrospective cross-sectional study used a subset of data from patients who sought dental treatment in a university dental clinic in the Lisbon metropolitan area. The sample consisted of 405 individuals (225 females/180 males), aged 20–90 years. All patients underwent a full-mouth periodontal examination and chronic periodontitis was defined as Clinical Attachment Loss (CAL) ≥ 3 mm affecting two or more teeth. Aggressive periodontitis cases were excluded from the analysis. Results Prevalence of chronic periodontitis was 83.5% (95% CI [80.4–86.6%]). For these subjects, CAL ≥ 3 mm affected 86.0% (95% CI [84.7–87.2]) of sites and 83.7% (95% CI [81.7–85.6]) of teeth, respectively. Mean CAL ranged from 3.6 to 4.3 mm, according to age. In the multivariate logistic regression model, smoking (OR = 3.55, 95% CI [1.80–7.02]) and older age (OR = 8.70, 95% CI [3.66–20.69] and OR = 4.85, 95% CI [2.57–9.16]), for 65+ and 45–64 years old, respectively, were identified as risk indicators for CAL ≥ 3 mm. Conclusions This particular Portuguese adult subpopulation had a high prevalence of chronic periodontitis, with severe and generalized clinical attachment loss, and its presence was significantly associated with age and smoking. This data should serve to prepare future detailed epidemiological studies and appropriate public health programs.