The prevalence of advanced loss of periodontal attachment in two New Mexico populations.

This paper describes the prevalence of destructive periodontal disease, in two samples of New Mexico adults, examined in two separate studies 26 years apart, by analyzing the occurrence of advanced loss of periodontal attachment (7.0 or more mm) in relation to selected dental and social factors. The first group comprised 1976 dentate adults aged 17-46 yr who were examined in 1958-59. The second study, conducted in 1984, included 372 dentate adults aged 27-74 yr. In the 1958 study, the prevalence of advanced loss of attachment was significantly associated with age, gender, race, education, plaque scores, and calculus scores. In 1984, the prevalence of advanced loss was significantly associated with age, education, and the presence of plaque. The analysis of loss of periodontal attachment data from both studies showed that 0.3 and 1.5% of all teeth present in the mouth in persons examined in 1958 between the ages of 17-26 and 27^6 yr, respectively, had advanced loss of attachment. In the 1984 sample, 1.5 and 6.7% of the 12 tooth sites examined in persons 27^6 and 47-74 yr had advanced loss of periodontal attachment, respectively. These observations are in agreement with recent epidemiological studies of the prevalence and distribution of advanced loss of periodontal attachment. Accepted for publication August 4, 1986