Treatment of caries and periodontitis in Sweden in 1974–77

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
During 1974-1975 a sample of individuals in Sweden between 20-60 yr were interviewed about dental care habits. A total of 938 individuals were then clinically examined. An estimation of the time needed for treatment of dental caries and periodontitis was based upon the clinical examination. Dental status and the estimated treatment time were then related to the dental care carried out during 1 period of 18 mo. and 1 of 48 mo. after the clinical examination. For these calculations, information on dental care was acquired from the patient register of the National Social Insurance Board. The results derived from the analyses showed that the requisite time for treating caries related well to the treatment executed. On the other hand the time for treating periodontal disease showed a poorer agreement with what could have been expected from the clinical periodontal status. The treatment time devoted to periodontal disease was considerably higher in the metropolitan areas, with their higher density of dentists, than in other parts of Sweden. Thus, dental care in Sweden between 1974-1978 concentrated primarily on restorative procedures while a progression of periodontal disease was largely ignored by dental practitioners.