Periodontal conditions, remaining teeth and oral hygiene habits in a group of Vietnamese refugees in Norway

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Abstract
Since 1975, about 3500 Vietnamese refugees have come to Norway. The aim of this study was to report on remaining teeth and periodontal conditions in a population of 200 adolescent and adult Vietnamese refugees. The mean number of remaining teeth ranged from 27.8 in the youngest age group to 24.6 in the oldest. This number of teeth is slightly lower than reported from Norwegian populations, but similar to other Asian populations. Almost all index teeth showed dental plaque, subgingival calculus was observed in 9 of 10 teeth after the age of 20. Gingival bleeding was seen on all index sites of 26.5% of the subjects and all subjects above the age of 40 had gingivitis adjacent to one or more index teeth. There was a progression of probeable pocket depths with increasing age. In the oldest age group, 72.7% had pockets between 3.5 mm and 5.5 mm. If optimal conditions should be obtained, substantial resources would evidently be required. In populations with limited resources and with relatively few subjects with severe periodontal breakdown, an identification of subjects at risk to be dentally handicapped through teeth loss should be a priority.