Periodontal bone loss in English secondary school children

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Abstract
The prevalence and incidence of periodontal bone loss during a 3 yr period was investigated in 373 English secondary school children aged initially 11-12 yr. Bone loss was diagnosed from standard radiographs obtained at the baseline and 3rd yr examinations of a caries prophylactic clinical trial in which the children were participating. The interproximal spaces mesial and distal to the 1st permanent molar teeth were examined; 18.5% of subjects had evidence of bone loss at these sites at baseline and 44.0% at 3rd year. In 60 subjects who had all 2nd premolars and 1st and 2nd permanent molars fully erupted and present at both examinations, the prevalence of bone loss was 36.7% at baseline and 68.3% at 3rd year. Those children who had bone loss recorded at both the initial and final examinations had evidence of significantly more bone destruction at the conclusion of the study than those in whom bone loss was recorded only at the final examination (P < 0.001).