In order to determine the validity of dental data obtained from a questionnaire, 100 subjects randomly selected from 2383 respondents were examined clinically. The quality of dental status was ordered in four groups for the number of missing and replaced teeth and for denture status. For the number of missing and replaced teeth, the observed agreement between the clinical diagnosis and the questionnaire answers was 65% for both the maxilla and the mandible, and the agreement estimated by Kappa was 0.52. However, the disagreement was not randomly distributed, since reporting of better dental status than the actual one was much more common than reporting of poorer status. Regarding denture status, the agreement between self-assessment and clinical diagnosis was good; all removable dentures in situ at the clinical examination were reported by the subjects as some kind of denture, although not always the correct type. The results of the study indicate that the use of self-assessment might be reasonable when measuring denture status, and that self-assessment of the number of missing and replaced teeth is a biased estimate of the clinical diagnosis. Thus appropriate action should be taken when using this type of data.

The effect of periodontal healing after guided tissue regeneration (GTR) in association with local application of metronidazole gel was evaluated in this study. Twelve patients with one pair of vertical periodontal bone defects of comparable size and configuration participated in the study. In a matched paired design, the test defects were treated by GTR using expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) membranes in combination with local application of metronidazole gel. The controls were treated in the same way except for application of metronidazole. During the first month of membrane implantation, no statistically significant differences between test and control surfaces were noted with respect to inflammation of the marginal gingiva. Six weeks following insertion, the membranes were removed. Six months after removal of the membrane, the median gain in probing attachment level as a percentage of the initial defect depth was 92% for test defects and 50% for control defects (P = .001). No statistically significant differences were found between test and control sites regarding plaque, bleeding on probing, reduction in pocket depth, gain in bone height, or recession of the gingival margin. In conclusion, the results of the present study indicate that local application of metronidazole gel has a beneficial effect on healing of periodontal vertical defects treated by guided tissue regeneration.

The present paper is part of a comprehensive study of dental conditions and attitudes in a Swedish county population aged 45-69 years. A questionnaire was mailed to 3000 randomly-sampled individuals. The response rate was 79.4%. Part of the questionnaire contained questions about subjective need for implant treatment. The subjects were informed of the clinical procedures as well as of the fees for implant treatment in the Swedish insurance system. The subjects wearing removable dentures were asked if, instead of their removable denture(s), they wanted dental implants if such treatment was possible. Of those wearing removable partial dentures, 23% answered "yes". The corresponding figure for subjects totally edentulous in one jaw was 17%; for subjects totally edentulous in both jaws 8%. The individuals who had reported missing teeth not replaced were asked if they wanted their missing teeth replaced by dental implants if such treatment were possible. The % answering "yes" was 21%. The subjects with all teeth remaining were hypothetically asked what kind of treatment they wanted if they would lose 1 or 2 of their teeth. The answer "dental implant" was given by 51%. Thus, subjective need for dental implants tended to decrease with poorer dental conditions. The major reason for not wanting dental implants was satisfaction with present dental conditions. Cost for treatment had some importance, while environmental and psychological factors showed only very limited influence.

A questionnaire study was performed on 3000 randomly sampled individuals aged 45-69 years living in Orebro county, Sweden. The response rate was almost 80%. The purpose was to describe dental conditions in this population, especially differences in dental conditions between various socioeconomic groups. Only 9% of the studied population were totally edentulous, and edentulousness was concentrated to the older age groups. Eighteen per cent of the population had all their teeth remaining. Removable dentures were worn by only 23% of the subjects. The results indicate further improvement of dental conditions in the age group 45-69 years in in Orebro county and presumably in the whole country. The results also indicate an improved gender equality with regard to dental status. On the other hand, socioeconomic inequalities were closely related to variations in dental conditions.

On the basis of data from a questionnaire study of 3000 inhabitants of Orebro County, Sweden, aged 45-69 years, the relative importance of various socioeconomic factors for dental conditions were analyzed in stepwise logistic regression models. Two different patterns were found: one in relation to the best dental condition (complete dental arches), another in relation to the poorest conditions (total edentulousness and presence of removable dentures). Next to age, education and income showed the highest predictive values in relation to the presence of removable dentures and total edentulousness. Place of residence and gender seemed to be of less importance than earlier. In relation to complete dental arches, there were lower values for most variables. One of only four significant variables was the attitude variable 'importance of good dental appearance'. The results may indicate the development of a new pattern of influences on dental conditions, mainly based on education and attitudes.