Periodontal health in an urban Indigenous population

Objectives: To compare periodontal pocketing and tooth loss between an urban Indigenous population and the Australian adult population. Methods: A cross sectional survey of a convenience sample of Indigenous adults from an Australian urban area was undertaken. Socio-demographic data, smoking and general health data were collected by interview. Clinical data were collected by two calibrated dentists who measured tooth loss, gingivitis and clinical attachment loss. The Australian population data was collected by 28 calibrated examiners in the National Survey of Adult Oral Health (NSAOH). Results: The number of Indigenous urban adults examined was 256 and the number of dentate people examined in the NSAOH was 5505. The proportion of urban Indigenous adults aged 45+ years (n=113) with 4+mm pocketing was 35.9% (95% CI, 29.6 – 42.2) and the mean number of missing teeth was 13.2 (95% CI, 11.8 – 14.5). This compares with 25.5% (95% CI, 21.6–29.8) of the Australian adult population of 45–54 year olds (n=1010) with 4+ mm pocketing and a mean of 5.9 (95% CI, 5.5–6.3). missing teeth. Conclusions: Frequency of periodontal pocketing and the mean number of missing teeth is higher among urban Indigenous Australians than in the general Australian adult population. Differential rates of diabetes and smoking between the urban Indigenous and the Australian populations may explain the variation. Supported by NHMRC project grant 519246.