Prevalence and risk indicators for chronic periodontitis in adolescents and young adults in south Brazil

P>Aim To describe the distribution of clinical attachment loss (CAL) and to study risk indicators for chronic periodontitis in a large population-based sample of adolescents and young adults from south Brazil. Material and methods This cross-sectional study used a subset of data from a larger survey representative of Porto Alegre, Brazil. The sample consisted of 612 individuals (291 males/321 females) aged 14-29 years. Full-mouth, six sites per tooth clinical examinations were performed by calibrated periodontists. Chronic periodontitis was defined as CAL >= 3 mm affecting two or more teeth. Aggressive periodontitis cases were excluded from the analysis. Results CAL >= 3 and >= 5 mm affected 50.4% and 17.4% of subjects and 9.7% and 1.1% of teeth, respectively. Prevalence of chronic periodontitis ranged between 18.2% and 72.0% among subjects 14-19 and 24-29 years old, respectively. In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, older age [odds ratio (OR)=2.6, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.7-3.9 and OR=7.2, 95% CI=3.7-14.0 for 20-24 and 25-29 years old, respectively], low socioeconomic status (OR=1.9, 95% CI=1.4-2.7), heavy smoking (OR=1.7, 95% CI=1.1-2.7) and larger amounts of calculus (OR=2.0, 95% CI=1.2-3.2) were significantly associated with chronic periodontitis. Conclusion This population of adolescents and young adults had a high prevalence of chronic periodontitis, and its presence was associated with age, socioeconomic status, smoking and calculus.