A multicenter cross-sectional study on the prevalence of periodontitis and the percentage of patients with severe periodontitis (stage III and IV) according to the 2018 AAP/EFP New Classification of Periodontitis in Japan dental patients

Abstract

Purpose: In 2018, the American Academy of Periodontology and the European Federation of Periodontology jointly published a new classification of periodontitis. The definition of periodontitis was reorganized and its evaluation methods were also changed to stages and grades. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of periodontitis and the proportion of patients with severe periodontitis (stages III and IV) among Japanese dental patients in a multicenter cross-sectional study. Methods: Patients (male and female) aged 35 years or older who made a first visit to 12 general dental clinics during a 6 -month period from August 2021 to February 2022 were included in the study, and the new classification of periodontitis was applied. Results: The total number of subjects was 344 (144 males and 200 females), and the mean age at the first visit was 51.9 ± 12.1 years. The prevalence of periodontitis was 75.9%, and the proportion of patients with severe periodontitis (stages III and IV) was 48.3% (among patients with periodontitis) and 39.5% (among all subjects). There was a correlation between age and severe periodontitis. Conclusions: The prevalence of periodontitis and the proportion of patients with severe periodontitis (stages III and IV) were high in patients who visited general dentists for the first time.