Prevalence and Risk Indicators for Alveolar Bone Loss in Kuwait

Objectives: Alveolar bone loss as a result of periodontal disease is associated with several risk factors such as smoking and diabetes mellitus. Limited data is available on the prevalence and associated risk indicators for alveolar bone loss in dental patients in Kuwait. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of alveolar bone loss and the associated risk indicators in Kuwait. Methods: This was a retrospective pilot study of 513 patient records from the Kuwait University, Faculty of Dentistry's Clinics. All patients were 18 years of age or older. Alveolar bone loss was assessed from the panoramic radiographs and scored by sextant as mild (< 15%), moderate (15-30%), or advanced (> 30%) using principles of the Schie ruler. Association with demographic variables, smoking status, and medical history factors was examined with chi-square and the Student t-test. Results: The prevalence of moderate or advanced bone loss was 28.5%. Factors significantly associated with having one or more sextants with moderate or advanced bone loss included age (47.6 +/- 9.5 vs. 31.5 +/- 10.6 years, p< 0.001), male gender (36.9% vs. 19.6%, p< 0.001), and diabetes mellitus (55.3% vs. 26.5%, p< 0.001). Conclusions: Approximately one-third of examined subjects had signs of moderate to advanced periodontitis. Alveolar bone loss severity was significantly associated with older age, male gender, and patient history of diabetes mellitus. Further studies with larger sample sizes are indicated for the assessment of the prevalence of alveolar bone loss in dental patients in Kuwait.