"Methods:", 58 individuals(age:41 to 48) of the 100(age:19 to 26) first evaluated 22 years ago were checked for the same criteria : Plaque Index,Gingival Index,sulcular depth at buccal sites,height of attached gingiva,height and width of gingival recession.
"Results:", Within the 58 individuals,1577 teeth were initially present and 1541 still present 22 years later,i.e. 36 teeth were lost (2.2%;0.6 tooth per individual).Over the 22 years period,Plaque Index has improved significantly from 1.83 to 0.49 and Gingival Index has remained stable (0.70 versus 0.74).The mean deepening of the buccal sulcular depth was 0.33 mm and the mean decrease in height of attached gingiva was 0.43 mm.The pourcentage of teeth with buccal recession has increased from 13.5% to 34.4%.Of the 530 gingival recessions observed,46.4% were associated with less than 2 mm of attached gingiva and 53.6% with 2 mm or more.50.2% of these recessions were scored up to 1 mm,46.6% between 1and 3 mm and only 3.2% were measured over 3 mm.
"Conclusions:", If the number of gingival recessions has increased with age,no one of the teeth initially involved has been lost over a 22 years period.In the absence of inflammation,the sites with less than 2 mm of attached gingiva could be well maintained without developing further gingival recessions.