Interactions between periodontal disease, medical diseases and immunity in the older individual.

Author: Loesche WJ, Lopatin DE.

Source: Periodontology

Year: 2000

Comment:

Abstract / Excerpt:

Treatment of dental diseases such as dental decay and periodontal disease cost the United States public an estimated USD 37 billion in 1994 (2). As such, the cost of dental treatment was higher than the cost of treating eye disease, diabetes or arthritis, among others. The highly individualized,labor intensive methods used to debride, repair and replace the involved teeth account for the enormity of this expense. This expense will increase, as more people, with more teeth, are living longer. The magnitude of this problem in terms of potential dental needs isillustrated by the relative and absolute numbers of older individuals who will be dentate in 2000 compared with 1900. In 1900, about 4% of the UnitedStates population was older than 64 years of age and about 60% were edentulous, giving a total of l.2 million dentate individuals. In 2000, 1 6% of the United States population will be older than 64 years and about 25% edentulous ( 1 18, 162), giving a total of 39 million dentate individuals. Thus, over a century the number of older dentate individuals at risk of developing dental caries and periodontal disease increased by 32 times.

Citation: Loesche WJ, Lopatin DE. Interactions between periodontal disease, medical diseases and immunity in the older individual. Periodontology 2000. 1998;16(1):80-105.