Ten-year longitudinal study of periodontal attachment loss in healthy adults

Despite much research, it is still difficult to make generalizations concerning aging and periodontal diseases. This study examined 95 healthy men and women (aged 29 to 76 years at initial visit) from the oral physiology component of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging over a 10-year period. Periodontal measurements were taken at two visits, and recession, pocket depth, and level of attachment determined. The change in level of attachment and attachment loss was assessed as a longitudinal measure of disease progression. Overall there were only slight changes in periodontal measurements over the 10-year period. Attachment loss was age-independent and was due primarily to increased recession not to changes in pocket depth. Periodontal disease destruction (as measured by attachment loss) occurred over time but was not related to the age or gender of a person. These results from healthy persons suggest that periodontal diseases are not a natural consequence of the aging process, and that advanced age is not an accurate predictor of attachment loss.