Aims: To investigate the prevalence of periodontitis in a young population representative for the North-western part of Romania (Transylvania) and to identify possible risk indicators of periodontitis.
Methods: The study is a cross-sectional epidemiological survey. The subjects were students randomly sampled from three universities in Cluj-Napoca and high school students from the neighboring city of Bistrita. The sample size of the population was calculated. Overall, 623 subjects aged 16-35 years were evaluated, of which 488 were university students and 135 high school students. A structured questionnaire was administrated to collect information on socio-behavioral status and oral hygiene habits. Periodontal data was collected using a full-mouth methodology by trained examiners. A recent introduced case definition was used to pick up periodontitis cases.
Results: The older the subject, the more frequent toothbrushing, dental visits, and use of interproximal hygiene devices, but also addiction to tobacco and alcohol consumption. The prevalence of periodontitis was 0.96% (n=6). Half of these subjects (n=3, 0.48%) were considered to have aggressive periodontitis (AP). Low frequency of toothbrush changing was identified to influence the development of periodontitis. Smoking and lower socioeconomic level did not seem to correlate with periodontal disease in the present study.
Conclusions: In order to better understand the prevalence of periodontal diseases and identify periodontitis cases as well as to evaluate the impact of specific behavioral factors on the disease development in individual and population levels, further extensive screenings are obviously required. Periodontal prevention programs focusing on oral health behavior are mandatory.
Keywords: Adolescent; Adult; Adulte; Behaviour; Epidemiology; Habitude; Parodontite; Periodontitis; Épidémiologie.
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