Volume 87, Issue 10 p. 1174-1185
Clinical Science

Risk Indicators for Periodontitis in US Adults: NHANES 2009 to 2012

Paul I. Eke

Corresponding Author

Paul I. Eke

Division of Population Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.

Correspondence: Dr. Paul I. Eke, Division of Population Health, National Center for Chronic Disease and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30341. Fax: 770/488-5964; e-mail: [email protected].Search for more papers by this author
Liang Wei

Liang Wei

DB Consulting Group, Atlanta, GA.

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Gina O. Thornton-Evans

Gina O. Thornton-Evans

Division of Oral Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Luisa N. Borrell

Luisa N. Borrell

Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, City University of New York, New York, NY.

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Wenche S. Borgnakke

Wenche S. Borgnakke

Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine, University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Ann Arbor, MI.

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Bruce Dye

Bruce Dye

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, Bethesda, MD.

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Robert J. Genco

Robert J. Genco

UB Microbiome Center, Schools of Dental Medicine and Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY.

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First published: 01 October 2016
Citations: 164

Abstract

Background: Through the use of optimal surveillance measures and standard case definitions, it is now possible to more accurately determine population-average risk profiles for severe (SP) and non-severe periodontitis (NSP) in adults (aged 30 years and older) in the United States.

Methods: Data from the 2009 to 2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used, which, for the first time, used the “gold standard” full-mouth periodontitis surveillance protocol to classify severity of periodontitis following suggested Centers for Disease Control/American Academy of Periodontology case definitions. Probabilities of periodontitis by: 1) sociodemographics, 2) behavioral factors, and 3) comorbid conditions were assessed using prevalence ratios (PRs) estimated by predicted marginal probability from multivariable generalized logistic regression models. Analyses were further stratified by sex for each classification of periodontitis.

Results: Likelihood of total periodontitis (TP) increased with age for overall and NSP relative to non-periodontitis. Compared with non-Hispanic whites, TP was more likely in Hispanics (adjusted [a]PR = 1.38; 95% confidence interval 95% CI: 1.26 to 1.52) and non-Hispanic blacks (aPR = 1.35; 95% CI: 1.22 to 1.50), whereas SP was most likely in non-Hispanic blacks (aPR = 1.82; 95% CI: 1.44 to 2.31). There was at least a 50% greater likelihood of TP in current smokers compared with non-smokers. In males, likelihood of TP in adults aged 65 years and older was greater (aPR = 2.07; 95% CI: 1.76 to 2.43) than adults aged 30 to 44 years. This probability was even greater in women (aPR = 3.15; 95% CI: 2.63 to 3.77). Likelihood of TP was higher in current smokers relative to non-smokers regardless of sex and periodontitis classification. TP was more likely in men with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus (DM) compared with adults without DM.

Conclusions: Assessment of risk profiles for periodontitis in adults in the United States based on gold standard periodontal measures show important differences by severity of disease and sex. Cigarette smoking, specifically current smoking, remains an important modifiable risk for all levels of periodontitis severity. Higher likelihood of TP in older adults and in males with uncontrolled DM is noteworthy. These findings could improve identification of target populations for effective public health interventions to improve periodontal health of adults in the United States.