Oral hygiene and periodontal health improved significantly in the 20-80-year age groups over the 30 years 1973-2003.

The aim of the present study was to establish the normal range for the radiographic distance between the cemento-enamel junction (CEJ) and the marginal bone level (MBL) in the primary dentition, and to relate this distance to various physiological and pathological factors. 128 children at the ages 7, 8 and 9 years took part in the study. Clinical and radiographic examinations of the mesial and distal surfaces of all primary molars and the distal surface of the primary canines were performed. The clinical examination included measurements of the amounts of plaque, bleeding on probing, probing depth and probing attachment loss. In addition, increased mobility of the primary teeth and stage of eruption of the neighbouring permanent teeth were recorded. The radiographic examination included measurements of the CEJ-MBL distance and the remaining root length. Also, exfoliating teeth, presence of proximal dentin caries, restorations and calculus were recorded from the radiographs. Associations between various explanatory variables and the CEJ-MBL distance were tested with both a chi 2 test and a variance components analysis. The mean CEJ-MBL distance for all primary tooth surfaces was 1.0 mm. Individual surfaces displayed distances ranging from 0.0-4.0 mm. Of the variables tested for association with the CEJ-MBL distance, eruption of neighbouring permanent tooth and exfoliation of neighbouring primary tooth seemed to be associated with large CEJ-MBL distances. When surfaces with these characteristics were excluded, a CEJ-MBL range of 0.0-2.0 mm was obtained.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Reports on dental abnormalities in connection with hypophosphatasia almost exclusively describe changes in primary teeth. A 23-year-old man with hypophosphatasia, first diagnosed at the age of 8 months, is described; histologically and radiographically verified signs of the condition were present in the permanent dentition. The findings included a reduced level of the marginal alveolar bone supporting the upper central incisors, which had to be extracted. The molars displayed large coronal pulp chambers. Histologically, the upper incisors demonstrated abnormal root cementum, with areas of dentin resorption, as well as disturbances of the mineralization of the coronal dentin. The patient also had signs of abnormal root resorption of molars. The potential involvement of permanent teeth puts children with hypophosphatasia at risk of developing oral complications during adolescent and adult life.

The present study was designed to determine the prevalence of bone loss in the primary dentition of children. Radiographs from children aged 7-9 were collected from 25 out of a total of 26 Public Dental Clinics in the County of Orebro, Sweden. These radiographs, representing 36.0%, 50.3% and 48.7% of all 7-, 8- and 9-year-old children (n = 8666) living in the districts of the participating clinics, constituted a primary sample. In addition, the 9-year-olds were subjected to a more comprehensive sampling procedure to obtain a more complete sample (sample of 9-year-olds), resulting in a group of 2017 children (71.9%). The radiographs were evaluated with respect to presence of marginal bone loss (CEJ-MBL: distance between the cemento-enamel junction and the marginal bone level > 2 mm), proximal calculus and number of decayed and filled proximal surfaces (dfsp) in the posterior areas of the primary dentition. In the primary sample, the prevalence of bone loss for > or = 1 proximal surfaces of the primary dentition in the 7-, 8- and 9-year-old children was 2.0%, 3.1% and 4.5%, respectively. The corresponding figures for proximal calculus were 2.5%, 3.1% and 4.2%. Mean number of dfsp amounted to 2.3, 2.5 and 3.0. The prevalences of bone loss and proximal calculus as well as the mean number of dfsp in the sample of 9-year-olds corresponded to the findings for the 9-year-old children in the primary sample.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)