Aggressive Periodontitis in Syrian Schoolchildren

Objectives: Little is known about the extent of periodontal disease in young populations in Syria. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of aggressive periodontitis (AgP) among schoolchildren in Syria, and to study the association of the disease with demographic and socioeconomic factors. Methods: We studied 4 districts, out of a total of 14 districts in Syria. 27 public secondary schools were randomly selected, and all students in grades 7 through 12 were invited to participate in the study. A total of 1,795 students (909 males and 886 females; 11-18 years of age) were clinically examined to assess the attachment loss at 6 sites per tooth of all fully erupted permanent teeth. Information about demographics and socioeconomic status were gathered by an interview using a structured written questionnaire. One examiner performed all examinations. Results: The overall prevalence of AgP in this population was 2.7% (49 students). Among cases, the teeth most affected were first molars (61.3%), second (19.1%) and first (9.2%) premolars, second molars (8.7%), and incisors (1.73%). There was a considerable variability in the prevalence of disease within the 4 geographic regions (4.67%, 2.90%, 2.24%, and 1.22%, p=0.01) suggesting different levels of exposures to etiological and risk factors. Prevalence rates were similar in rural and urban schools (p=0.7), higher in males than females (3.4% vs. 2%, p=0.07), and correlated negatively with the level of education of parents (p=0.02) and positively with the number of siblings in the family (p=0.01). Conclusion: These findings suggest a relatively high prevalence of AgP among Syrian schoolchildren, and a significant association with low socioeconomic status.