Prevalence and extent of chronic periodontitis and its risk factors in a Portuguese subpopulation: a retrospective cross-sectional study and analysis of Clinical Attachment Loss

Objectives. To assess the prevalence and extent of chronic periodontitis, and its risk factors in a Portuguese subpopulation referred to periodontal examination. Methods. This retrospective cross-sectional study used a subset of data from patients who sought dental treatment in a university dental clinic in the Lisbon metropolitan area. The sample consisted of 405 individuals (225 females/180 males), aged 20 - 90 years. All patients underwent a full-mouth periodontal examination and chronic periodontitis was defined as Clinical Attachment Loss (CAL) >= 3 mm affecting two or more teeth. Aggressive periodontitis cases were excluded from the analysis. Results. Prevalence of chronic periodontitis was 83.5% (95% CI [80.4-86.6%]). For these subjects, CAL >= 3 mm affected 86.0% (95% CI [84.7-87.2]) of sites and 83.7% (95% CI [81.7-85.6]) of teeth, respectively. Mean CAL ranged from 3.6 to 4.3 mm, according to age. In the multivariate logistic regression model, smoking (OR = 3.55, 95% CI [1.80-7.02]) and older age (OR = 8.70, 95% CI [3.66-20.69] and OR = 4.85, 95% CI [2.57-9.16]), for 65 + and 45-64 years old, respectively, were identified as risk indicators for CAL >= 3 mm. Conclusions. This particular Portuguese adult subpopulation had a high prevalence of chronic periodontitis, with severe and generalized clinical attachment loss, and its presence was significantly associated with age and smoking. This data should serve to prepare future detailed epidemiological studies and appropriate public health programs.