IADR Abstract Archives
Prevalence of Periodontal Disease Among Filipino Older Adults
Objectives: Periodontitis is prevalent worldwide, and previous research has reported its prevalence to be high among elderly. However, there is limited data on the periodontal health status of elderly in the Philippines. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of periodontal disease among Filipino older adults.
Methods: The study protocol was approved by the Research Ethics Board of the University. A total of 316 subjects from four localities in the Philippines underwent oral health assessment as part of the Focused Interventions for Frail Older Adults Research and Development Program (FITforFRAIL) Study. Exclusion criteria included subjects who were completely edentulous, whose teeth were all root fragments, and those for whom probing depths and/or clinical attachment levels could not be determined because of calculus or discomfort during assessment. Full mouth periodontal examination (six sites per tooth) was completed on 183 subjects with at least two teeth present. A periodontal diagnosis was assigned for eligible subjects, using the 2018 Classification of Periodontal Diseases and Conditions.
Results: Out of the 183 participants, majority (63.4%) belonged to the young-old age group (60-69 years), while 27.9% and 8.7% were categorized as middle-old (70-79 years) and oldest-old (≥80 years), respectively. None were diagnosed with clinical gingival health nor gingivitis, and all subjects were diagnosed with periodontitis (100%). Most presented with severe periodontitis (94%), while the remaining 6% were classified as having moderate periodontitis. The percentage of severe periodontitis was observed to increase with age. Among the young-old, 93.1% had severe disease, while 94.1% of the middle-old and 100% of the oldest-old were found to have severe destruction.
Conclusions: Periodontitis is highly prevalent in this representative sample of Filipino elderly. Additional research is recommended to corroborate the present study’s findings, and Philippine health policies may need updating to reduce the prevalence of periodontitis among Filipino elderly.
Methods: The study protocol was approved by the Research Ethics Board of the University. A total of 316 subjects from four localities in the Philippines underwent oral health assessment as part of the Focused Interventions for Frail Older Adults Research and Development Program (FITforFRAIL) Study. Exclusion criteria included subjects who were completely edentulous, whose teeth were all root fragments, and those for whom probing depths and/or clinical attachment levels could not be determined because of calculus or discomfort during assessment. Full mouth periodontal examination (six sites per tooth) was completed on 183 subjects with at least two teeth present. A periodontal diagnosis was assigned for eligible subjects, using the 2018 Classification of Periodontal Diseases and Conditions.
Results: Out of the 183 participants, majority (63.4%) belonged to the young-old age group (60-69 years), while 27.9% and 8.7% were categorized as middle-old (70-79 years) and oldest-old (≥80 years), respectively. None were diagnosed with clinical gingival health nor gingivitis, and all subjects were diagnosed with periodontitis (100%). Most presented with severe periodontitis (94%), while the remaining 6% were classified as having moderate periodontitis. The percentage of severe periodontitis was observed to increase with age. Among the young-old, 93.1% had severe disease, while 94.1% of the middle-old and 100% of the oldest-old were found to have severe destruction.
Conclusions: Periodontitis is highly prevalent in this representative sample of Filipino elderly. Additional research is recommended to corroborate the present study’s findings, and Philippine health policies may need updating to reduce the prevalence of periodontitis among Filipino elderly.