Robinson P J
Int Dent J. 1979 Sep;29(3):220-5.
Epidemiological studies have shown that the prevalence and severity of periodontal disease and tooth loss increase with age. Other studies indicate that gingival recession becomes more prevalent as age progresses. In addition, it has been demonstrated experimentally that elderly individuals develop more rapid and severe gingivitis than young individuals following the abstention of oral hygiene. However, to date no one has established which changes associated with ageing are responsible for these clinical observations. A population of elderly patients (60 years or older) has been evaluated at Northwestern University as to the role of gingival recession and inadequate zones of attached gingiva in the development of dental plaque and gingivitis. The controls for this study consisted of a young population (under 25 years old) with similar gingival defects. In addition, we have found that elderly individuals need more frequent oral prophylaxis for the maintenance of gingival health and to prevent further loss of alveolar bone. This need for more frequent oral prophylaxis is due in large part to the increased incidence of exposed root surface which allows for more rapid plaque accumulation and calculus formation than do enamel surfaces. This and other preliminary evidence suggests that elderly patients with periodontal disease should receive more aggressive therapy than is commonly practised today.
流行病学研究表明，牙周病的患病率和严重程度以及牙齿缺失率均随年龄增长而增加。其他研究表明，随着年龄的增长，牙龈退缩更为普遍。此外，实验证明，在停止口腔卫生措施后，老年人比年轻人更容易患上快速且严重的牙龈炎。然而，迄今为止，尚未有人确定与衰老相关的哪些变化导致了这些临床观察结果。西北大学对一组老年患者（60岁及以上）进行了评估，以研究牙龈退缩和附着龈区域不足在牙菌斑和牙龈炎形成中的作用。本研究的对照组为具有相似牙龈缺陷的年轻人群（25岁以下）。此外，我们发现老年人需要更频繁地进行口腔预防，以维持牙龈健康并防止牙槽骨进一步丧失。这种对更频繁口腔预防的需求在很大程度上是由于暴露牙根面的发生率增加，与牙釉质表面相比，牙根面更易快速形成牙菌斑和牙结石。这一情况以及其他初步证据表明，患有牙周病的老年患者应接受比目前常规治疗更为积极的治疗。
