Periodontal status and treatment needs among regular dental patients.

A survey of periodontal status and treatment needs among dental patients was performed using the CPITN criteria, with the worst score per sextant being recorded, based on examination of all surfaces of all teeth. Regularly attending patients (n = 1092) from 36 general dental practices in two North Carolina counties were examined. The most frequently found worst conditions-per-patient across all ages were the presence of calculus (35 per cent) and the presence of 4-5 mm pockets (35 per cent). The most common worst condition-per-sextant was bleeding (32 per cent) followed by calculus (28 per cent). Less than a fifth of all sextants exhibited pocketing, although half of the patients had at least a 4-5 mm pocket. The mean amount of treatment time required for these conditions was 33 minutes, reflecting the general absence of the need for complex periodontal treatment.