1016 textile workers were examined during a baseline study in 1969/70. A follow-up examination in 1979/80 identified 82 subjects who had not been treated for periodontal disease in the intervening period. There were 39 male and 43 female subjects; the average age at the initial examination was 27.0 years. There was an average tooth loss of 2.5 (SEM 0.6) teeth per subject over the 10-year period. While periodontal disease was significantly related to oral hygiene at the outset, neither factor was significantly related to the degree of tooth loss. A detailed analysis of the dynamics of the periodontal condition was undertaken. The subsequent results are presented in the form of transition matrices and clearly illustrate both the progression of periodontal disease and the degree of tooth loss associated with each level of periodontal disease at the initial examination. The main findings are as follows. (a) Overall 6% of teeth initially free of periodontal disease (P.I.O.) were lost compared to 14% with destructive periodontal disease (P.I.6). (b) Progression of periodontal disease was slow for teeth initially free of periodontal disease and with mild gingivitis (P.I.0 and P.I.1) for all age groups. However severe gingivitis (P.I.2), resulted in more rapid deterioration of the supporting tissues in subjects over 35 years old at the final examination; 35% of such teeth changed to destructive periodontal disease (P.I.6) compared to 17% of corresponding teeth for the under 35-year age group. In contrast, a poorer prognosis was found for the teeth with destructive periodontal disease (P.I.6) in the younger age group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The prevalence of periodontitis was studied in a population of 157 insulin dependent diabetes mellitus patients aged 8-78 years attending the outpatients diabetic clinic of a large general hospital in Cork, Ireland. Every third diabetic patient attending the clinic was selected for examination. The dental parameters measured were plaque index (PI), gingivitis index (GI), periodontal pocket depth (PD) and periodontal attachment loss (PAL). Diabetic control was measured by estimating percentage haemoglobin glycolysation (% Hb Alc) known duration of diabetes (KDD) and insulin dependence. It was found that none of the diabetic measurements showed any consistent pattern in relation to any of the periodontal measurements. The findings are in agreement with other studies which suggest that no significant correlation between diabetic parameters and periodontal disease can be demonstrated. When the diabetic patient suffered periodontitis it was due to factors (such as genetic predisposition) other than impaired glucose metabolism.

Further studies are required to establish if these potential biomarkers will enable the identification of those sites most at risk for disease progression and also evaluate the response to treatment, thereby playing a preventive role in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease.

Certain features of malocclusion considered important in relation to periodontal health were analyzed in a study of 300 subjects. It was found that plaque and gingival inflammation were not related to vertical incisor overbite, horizontal incisor overjet or posterior cuspal interdigitation. Individual tooth irregularity measured as tilting, rotation, displacement and crowding had a low but statistically significant correlation with plaque, calculus and gingival inflammation. However, the study showed that these features of malocclusion are far less important than the extent of plaque and calculus deposits in the development of gingival inflammation.

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