Periodontitis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Periodontitis, including details on treatment, causes, gingivitis, symptoms.

Aggressive periodontitis among young Israeli army personnel.

Levin L, Baev V, Lev R, Stabholz A, Ashkenazi M

Department of Oral Rehabilitation, The Maurice and Gabriela Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. liranl@post.tau.ac.il

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of aggressive periodontitis among young Israeli army recruits and to evaluate its association with smoking habits and ethnic origin. METHODS: The study population consisted of 642 young army recruits (562 men [87.5%] and 80 women [12.5%]), aged 18 to 30 years (average: 19.6 +/- 1.6 years), who arrived at a military dental clinic for dental examinations between January and December 2004. Subjects filled out a questionnaire regarding their ethnic origin and family periodontal history, followed by radiographs and a clinical periodontal examination of four first molars and eight incisors. RESULTS: Aggressive periodontitis was found in 5.9% of the subjects (4.3% localized and 1.6% generalized). At least one site with a probing depth > or =5 mm was found in 20.1% of the subjects. A radiographic distance between crestal bone height and the cemento-enamel junction >3 mm was found in 43 (6.7%) subjects. Current smokers (39.9%) (P = 0.03) and subjects of North African origin (P <0.0001) correlated with a high prevalence of aggressive periodontitis. CONCLUSION: A relatively high prevalence of aggressive periodontitis was found in young Israeli army recruits, which was particularly associated with smoking and ethnic origin.

Published 2 August 2006 in J Periodontol, 77(8): 1392-6.
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