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Gingivitis as a risk factor in periodontal disease
Author(s) -
Lang Niklaus P.,
Schätzle Marc A.,
Löe Harald
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of clinical periodontology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.456
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1600-051X
pISSN - 0303-6979
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-051x.2009.01415.x
Subject(s) - gingivitis , periodontal disease , medicine , risk factor , dentistry , periodontitis , disease
Background: Dental plaque has been proven to initiate and promote gingival inflammation. Histologically, various stages of gingivitis may be characterized prior to progression of a lesion to periodontitis. Clinically, gingivitis is well recognized. Material & Methods: Longitudinal studies on a patient cohort of 565 middle class Norwegian males have been performed over a 26‐year period to reveal the natural history of initial periodontitis in dental‐minded subjects between 16 and 34 years of age at the beginning of the study. Results: Sites with consistent bleeding (GI=2) had 70% more attachment loss than sites that were consistenly non‐inflamed (GI=0). Teeth with sites that were consistently non‐inflamed had a 50‐year survival rate of 99.5%, while teeth with consistently inflamed gingivae yielded a 50‐year survival rate of 63.4%. Conclusion: Based on this longitudinal study on the natural history of periodontitis in a dentally well‐maintained male population it can be concluded that persistent gingivitis represents a risk factor for periodontal attachment loss and for tooth loss.