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Aim: To assess the impact of active (APT) and supportive periodontal therapy (SPT) on the change in probing depth (PD) and annual tooth loss in partially and fully compliant and drop-out patients., Material and Methods: Data of 280 periodontally treated partially and fully compliant (regular supportive visits, SPT duration 5.5 ± 4.5 years) and 55 drop-out patients (SPT and drop-out duration 8.3 ± 3.8 years, only drop-out duration 5.3 ± 3.7 years) were recorded. PD data and the number of teeth present at the start of APT (T1) and at the start of SPT (T2) were taken from the patient files and evaluated at the time of the final examination (T3)., Results: Annual tooth loss during SPT was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in drop-out patients than in partially and fully compliant patients (0.31 ± 0.50 vs. 0.19 ± 0.55, respectively). In partially and fully compliant and drop-out patients, the mean PD (all available site data) decreased significantly between T1 (3.61 ± 0.82 vs. 3.70 ± 0.73 mm) and T2 (2.68 ± 0.40 vs. 2.76 ± 0.42 mm), while the values increased again slightly up to T3 (2.74 ± 0.41 vs. 2.99 ± 0.75 mm)., Conclusions: In partially and fully compliant patients, SPT had a positive impact on PD stability and medium-term tooth preservation. In contrary to expectations, drop-out patients, PD did not return to baseline values, although PD stability was not achieved., (© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Clinical Periodontology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

In population-based longitudinal studies, bias caused by nonresponse among eligible participants and attrition during follow-up thwarts conclusions. As this issue is not commonly addressed in dental studies, it is the aim of this study to examine the consequences of attrition with respect to tooth loss and mortality in a 10-y follow-up study. From the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-0), a biological age (BA) score was constructed from 10 systemic biomarkers and related to one's actual chronological age (CA). The 3,417 dentate participants were stratified according to their BA-CA scores into tertiles: individuals with younger BA than their CA, those with concurrent BA and CA, and those with older BA than their CA. Baseline characteristics and propensity of leaving or remaining in the study were compared across these tertiles. We compared the characteristics within BA strata in the remainers of SHIP-2 (10-y follow-up) and their impact on tooth loss. Besides dropout by those who died, the attrition propensity of baseline study participants was dose dependent as related to BA-CA scores and socioeconomic factors. BA younger participants were underrepresented in dropouts but overrepresented in remaining follow-up participants. BA younger participants had a more favorable risk profile, better oral health, and a lower mortality rate than BA older participants. For the BA older participants, the opposite was observed. Remainers attaining the follow-up SHIP-2 were healthier and more health conscious. After 10 y, their tooth retention was still directed by BA constructed at baseline. The results support the assumption that individual risk profiles aggregated in BA constitute characteristic susceptibility patterns affecting perseverance or attrition in long-term follow-up studies. Attrition, which is common to follow-up studies, changes the study composition of participants depending on their BA and hence the transferability of results to the baseline population. The baseline BA gradient persists even after a long time., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Aim: To propose a framework for consistently applying the 2018 periodontal status classification scheme to epidemiological surveys (Application of the 2018 periodontal status Classification to Epidemiological Survey data, ACES)., Proposed Framework: We specified data requirements and workflows for either completed or planned epidemiological surveys, utilizing commonly collected measures of periodontal status (clinical attachment levels [CAL], probing depths, bleeding on probing), as well as additional necessary variables for the implementation of the 2018 periodontal status classification (tooth loss due to periodontitis and complexity factors). Following detailed instructions and flowcharts, survey participants are classified as having periodontal health, gingivitis or periodontitis. Rates of edentulism must also be reported. In cases of periodontitis, instructions on how to compute the stage and extent are provided. Assessment of grade can be derived from CAL measurements (or from radiographic alveolar bone loss data) in relation to root length and the participant's age., Conclusions: ACES is a framework to be used in epidemiological studies of periodontal status that (i) have been completed, and in which stage and grade according to the 2018 classification are inferred retroactively, or (ii) are being planned. Consistent use of the proposed comprehensive approach will facilitate the comparability of periodontitis prevalence estimates across studies., (© 2024 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Periodontology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Aim: To estimate association between the use of interdental cleaning aids (IDAs) and type on 7-year follow-up levels of interdental plaque, interdental gingival inflammation, interdental periodontitis severity, the number of interdental sound surfaces and the number of missing teeth in a population-based cohort study., Materials and Methods: We used 7-year follow-up data of 2224 participants from the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-TREND). We applied generalized linear and ordinal logistic models, adjusting for confounding and selection bias using inverse probability treatment weighting and multiple imputation., Results: Flossers were 32% less likely to have higher interdental plaque (iPlaque) levels than non-users of IDAs (odds ratio [OR] = 0.68; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.50-0.94); flossing resulted in 5% lower means of iPlaque. Effects on interdental bleeding on probing (iBOP), mean interdental probing depths and mean interdental clinical attachment levels were direction-consistent but statistically non-significant. Interdental brushing was associated with lower follow-up levels for interdental plaque (OR = 0.73; 95% CI: 0.57-0.93) and iBOP (OR = 0.69; 95% CI: 0.53-0.89). IDAs were more effective in reducing iPlaque in participants with periodontitis, whereas iBOP reduction was more pronounced in participants with no or mild periodontitis. The analyses did not suggest that the use of IDAs affected caries. Finally, applying change score analyses, flossing reduced tooth loss incidence (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 0.71) compared with non-users of IDAs., Conclusions: Recommending flossing and interdental brushing in dental practices represents an approach to the prevention of gingivitis and consequently periodontitis., (© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Periodontology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Aim: To determine the long-term effects of the use of powered tooth brush (PTB) in comparison to manual tooth brush (MTB) on periodontitis severity, coronal caries experience, and the number of missing teeth using in a population-based cohort study., Materials and Methods: Using 7-year follow-up data of 2214 participants of the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-TREND), comprehensively adjusted linear models using generalized least squares and ordinal regression models estimated the effects of PTB usage on dental outcomes in complete case and imputed data., Results: At follow-up, PTB users had lower medians for mean probing depth (PD; 2.21 mm) and mean clinical attachment levels (1.73 mm) than MTB users (2.30 and 1.96 mm, respectively). Adjusted models revealed the beneficial effects of PTB usage on follow-up levels of plaque, bleeding on probing, mean PD, percentage of sites with PDs ≥4 mm, mean clinical attachment levels (all, interdental, and non-interdental sites, respectively), and the number of missing teeth. For the number of missing teeth, the effects were more pronounced in participants aged ≥50 years. No significant effects of PTB usage on the number of decayed or filled surfaces (all and interdental sites) were found., Conclusions: A recommendation of PTB usage in dental practice could contribute to the long-term promotion of oral health., (© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Periodontology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether extraction thresholds in persons with severe periodontitis have changed between 2000 and 2010 and whether potential shifts have contributed to the reported decrease in tooth extractions in German adults over the last decades., Materials and Methods: Data from two German population-based cohort studies in Northeast Germany (Studies of Health in Pomerania; SHIP-START [baseline 1997-2001; 11-year follow-up] and SHIP-TREND [baseline 2008-2012; 7-year follow-up]) were used. In SHIP-START (SHIP-TREND), 522 (478) participants with severe periodontitis according to the CDC/AAP case definition were included. Patterns of maximum probing depth (PD) and maximum clinical attachment level (CAL) for retained and extracted teeth were compared between SHIP-START and SHIP-TREND participants., Results: No major differences in patterns of baseline maximum CAL of retained or extracted teeth were detected between SHIP-START and SHIP-TREND. Extraction thresholds were identified at the baseline at maximum CAL ≥6 and ≥9 mm. Tooth-level incidence rates for extraction for baseline maximum CAL of 6 mm were comparable between SHIP-START and SHIP-TREND (17.1 vs. 15.9 events per 1000 person-years)., Conclusions: After a decade, teeth in persons with severe periodontitis were still undergoing extraction with minor or moderate attachment loss. A change in extraction pattern did not contribute to the higher tooth retention rate., (© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Periodontology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Aim: According to retrospective clinical studies, periodontal treatment retains teeth. However, evidence on the effectivity of periodontal treatment stemming from the general population is lacking., Materials and Methods: We analysed data of periodontally treated patients from routine data of a major German national health insurance (BARMER-MV; sub-sample of the Federal State of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) and from a clinical cohort (Greifswald Approach to Individualized Medicine, GANI&#95;MED), as well as periodontally untreated and treated participants of the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-TREND) with either ≥2 or ≥4 teeth with pocket depths ≥4 mm. Yearly tooth loss (YTL) estimates and incidence rates were evaluated., Results: For moderately to severely affected groups, YTL and incidence rates were higher in BARMER-MV patients (0.35 and 0.18, respectively) than in untreated SHIP-TREND controls (0.19 and 0.08, respectively). In line, treated SHIP-TREND participants exhibited higher YTL rates than untreated SHIP-TREND controls (0.26 vs. 0.19). For severely affected groups, results with respect to tooth loss were inconclusive regarding the beneficial effects of periodontal treatment conducted either in the university (GANI&#95;MED data) or in the general practice., Conclusion: Until 2021, periodontal treatment performed in German general dental practices within the national health insurance system was probably not efficient in retaining more teeth in the short- to mid-term. Since reimbursement schemes were changed in 2021 and now cover periodontal treatment to a much larger extent, the future will show whether these new reimbursement codes will improve the quality of periodontal treatment and whether they will lead to more long-term tooth retainment., (© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Periodontology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Aim: This study aimed to identify the factors influencing the changes in the number of teeth present and the number of healthy or filled surfaces between two time points., Materials and Methods: Repeated cross-sectional data from population-based studies, namely the German Oral Health Studies (DMS-III vs. DMS-V), the Studies of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-START-0 vs. SHIP-TREND-0), and the Jönköping study (2003 vs. 2013), were analysed. Oaxaca decomposition models were constructed for the outcomes (number of teeth, number of healthy surfaces, and number of filled surfaces)., Results: The number of teeth increased between examinations (DMS: +2.26 [adults], +4.92 [seniors], SHIP: +1.67, Jönköping: +0.96). Improvements in education and dental awareness brought a positive change in all outcomes. An increase in powered toothbrushing and inter-dental cleaning had a great impact in DMS (adults: +0.25 tooth, +0.78 healthy surface, +0.38 filled surface; seniors: +1.19 teeth, 5.79 healthy surfaces, +0.48 filled surface). Inter-dental cleaning decreased by 4% between SHIP-START-0 and SHIP-TREND-0, which negatively affected the outcomes., Conclusions: From this study, it can be concluded that education may be the most important factor having a direct and indirect effect on the outcomes. However, for better oral health, powered toothbrushing and inter-dental cleaning should not be neglected., (© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Periodontology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess 10-year trends in coronal caries in adults aged 20-83 years using data from the two-representative population-based Studies of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-0/SHIP-Trend-0)., Methods: Repeated cross-sectional data from 4,286 SHIP-0 and 3,913 SHIP-Trend-0 participants were analysed. Carious, filled and missing teeth/surfaces were recorded in a half-mouth design and the DMF-T/S scores and sound surfaces/teeth were calculated according to WHO criteria. Trends in DMF-T/S scores and its single components were presented stratified by age group and sex., Results: A statistically significant decline in coronal caries experience (DMF-T and DMF-S) in adults aged 20 to 83 years as well as for D-T/S components was observed. The proportion of edentulous participants was almost halved from 8.7% (SHIP-0) to 5.1% (SHIP-Trend-0), while the number of M-T declined from 4.4 to 3.5 revealing an overall clear shift to a higher retention rate of teeth. In younger adults (25-34 years) 3.8 more sound teeth (17.2 sound surfaces) were found in average in the mouth and in elderly (65-74 years) a clear shift from extracted to filled teeth was observed (M-T reduced by 5.4, while F-T increased by 4). Regarding sex differences, females had consistently on average higher MF-T/S values, but lower D-T/S values than males., Conclusion: A clinically relevant drop in the severity of coronal caries experience in all adult age groups in Northeast Germany shows that not only reductions in caries experience in adolescence translated into adulthood but also later improvements led to long-term oral health., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Periodontitis is among the most common chronic diseases worldwide, and it is one of the main reasons for tooth loss. Comprehensive profiling of the metabolite content of the saliva can enable the identification of novel pathways associated with periodontitis and highlight non-invasive markers to facilitate time and cost-effective screening efforts for the presence of periodontitis and the prediction of tooth loss., Methods: We first investigated cross-sectional associations of 13 oral health variables with saliva levels of 562 metabolites, measured by untargeted mass spectrometry among a sub-sample (n = 938) of the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-2) using linear regression models adjusting for common confounders. We took forward any candidate metabolite associated with at least two oral variables, to test for an association with a 5-year tooth loss over and above baseline oral health status using negative binomial regression models., Results: We identified 84 saliva metabolites that were associated with at least one oral variable cross-sectionally, for a subset of which we observed robust replication in an independent study. Out of 34 metabolites associated with more than two oral variables, baseline saliva levels of nine metabolites were positively associated with a 5-year tooth loss. Across all analyses, the metabolites 2-pyrrolidineacetic acid and butyrylputrescine were the most consistent candidate metabolites, likely reflecting oral dysbiosis. Other candidate metabolites likely reflected tissue destruction and cell proliferation., Conclusions: Untargeted metabolic profiling of saliva replicated metabolic signatures of periodontal status and revealed novel metabolites associated with periodontitis and future tooth loss., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background: Currently, there is no comprehensive presentation of trends in oral diseases in the German general population over the last 20 years., Objectives: How did prevalences of caries, periodontitis, and tooth loss and their determinants change in Germany between 1997 and 2014?, Materials and Methods: We analysed data from 35- to 44-year-olds and 65- to 74-year-olds from the German Oral Health Studies ("Deutsche Mundgesundheitsstudien" [DMS]) III to V and of 25- to 74-year-olds from the Studies of Health in Pomerania (SHIP‑0 and SHIP-Trend-0). The decayed, missing, filled teeth index (DMFT), the number of sound teeth, the community periodontal index (CPI), and data on tooth count and edentulism were analysed., Results: Regarding determinants, an increase in subjects with high school education, a slight decrease in smokers, and an increase in better oral hygiene patterns was observed in both studies. In 35- to 44-year-olds, the number of sound teeth increased from 11.9 in DMS III to 16.8 in DMS V, while in 65- to 74-year-olds the number of sound teeth increased by 5.9. A similar trend was observed in SHIP. In DMS, the prevalence of the highest CPI score of 4 decreased from 9.3% to 3.5% in 35- to 44-year-olds; in 65- to 74-year-olds, the 2014 prevalence was at the same level as in 1997 (10.5% and 9.8%). In parallel, the percentage of edentulous 65- to 74-year-olds halved in both studies. The number of teeth increased across all age strata., Conclusions: DMS and SHIP consistently showed an increase in the number of healthy teeth free of fillings, a slight reduction of subjects with a CPI score of 4, more tooth retention, and less edentulism. Because of more tooth retention and current demographic changes, higher periodontal treatment needs might be expected for the future.

Objectives: To predict patients' tooth loss during supportive periodontal therapy across four German university centers., Methods: Tooth loss in 897 patients in four centers (Kiel (KI) n = 391; Greifswald (GW) n = 282; Heidelberg (HD) n = 175; Frankfurt/Main (F) n = 49) during supportive periodontal therapy (SPT) was assessed. Our outcome was annualized tooth loss per patient. Multivariable linear regression models were built on data of 75 % of patients from one center and used for predictions on the remaining 25 % of this center and 100 % of data from the other three centers. The prediction error was assessed as root-mean-squared-error (RMSE), i.e., the deviation of predicted from actually lost teeth per patient and year., Results: Annualized tooth loss/patient differed significantly between centers (between median 0.00 (interquartile interval: 0.00, 0.17) in GW and 0.09 (0.00, 0.19) in F, p = 0.001). Age, smoking status and number of teeth before SPT were significantly associated with tooth loss (p < 0.03). Prediction within centers showed RMSE of 0.14-0.30, and cross-center RMSE was 0.15-0.31. Predictions were more accurate in F and KI than in HD and GW, while the center on which the model was trained had a less consistent impact. No model showed useful predictive values., Conclusion: While covariates were significantly associated with tooth loss in linear regression models, a clinically useful prediction was not possible with any of the models and generalizability was not given. Predictions were more accurate for certain centers., Clinical Relevance: Association should not be confused with predictive value: Despite significant associations of covariates with tooth loss, none of our models was useful for prediction. Usually, model accuracy was even lower when tested across centers, indicating low generalizability., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Increasing age is associated with systemic diseases as well as with periodontal diseases. We wondered whether a biological age score constructed exclusively from systemic biomarkers would reflect periodontal risk factors at baseline and tooth loss as well as periodontal outcome during 10 years follow-up., Methods: From the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP) 2256 participants (1072 male, 1184 female) were studied for the relationship of the systemic biomarkers glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), fibrinogen, white blood cell count, blood pressure, and waist circumference to their age. Construction of a biological age (BA) score allowed its comparison with the participants' actual chronological age (CA) and their predisposition to periodontal disease., Results: Though nearly identical in CA, participants appearing younger than their true age had a significantly reduced burden of periodontal risk factors. If BA > CA, then risk factors were more frequent including smoking, oral hygiene, dental visits, education, and income. After 10 years, in participants with identical CA, tooth loss followed their BA calculated at baseline, that is, with BA > CA fewer teeth were preserved. Similarly, periodontal measures varied according to BA; sex differences were obvious. Most significant were BA-related differences in inflammatory and anthropometry parameters., Conclusions: The results support the assumption that risk profiles aggregated in BA constitute a characteristic susceptibility pattern unique to each individual, common to both systemic and periodontal diseases. Although BA was constructed exclusively from systemic measures at baseline, BA reflects the oral conditions at follow-up., (© 2020 The Authors. Journal of Periodontology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Academy of Periodontology.)

The long-term effectiveness of powered toothbrushes (PTBs) and interdental cleaning aids (IDAs) on a population level is unproven. We evaluated to what extent changes in PTB and IDA use may explain changes in periodontitis, caries, and tooth loss over the course of 17 y using data for adults (35 to 44 y) and seniors (65 to 74 y) from 3 independent cross-sectional surveys of the German Oral Health Studies (DMS). Oaxaca decomposition analyses assessed to what extent changes in mean probing depth (PD), number of caries-free surfaces, and number of teeth between 1) DMS III and DMS V and 2) DMS IV and DMS V could be explained by changes in PTB and IDA use. Between DMS III and V, PTB (adults: 33.5%; seniors: 28.5%) and IDA use (adults: 32.5%; seniors: 41.4%) increased along with an increase in mean PD, number of caries-free surfaces, and number of teeth. Among adults, IDA use contributed toward increased number of teeth between DMS III and V as well as DMS IV and V. In general, the estimates for adults were of lower magnitude. Among seniors between DMS III and V, PTB and IDA use explained a significant amount of explained change in the number of caries-free surfaces (1.72 and 5.80 out of 8.44, respectively) and the number of teeth (0.49 and 1.25 out of 2.19, respectively). Between DMS IV and V, PTB and IDA use contributed most of the explained change in caries-free surfaces (0.85 and 1.61 out of 2.72, respectively) and the number of teeth (0.25 and 0.46 out of 0.94, respectively) among seniors. In contrast to reported results from short-term clinical studies, in the long run, both PTB and IDA use contributed to increased number of caries-free healthy surfaces and teeth in both adults and seniors.

Objective: SLC22A4/5 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been reported to affect inflammatory diseases. We report the relationship of these polymorphisms with adiposity and tooth loss as elucidated in a 10-year follow-up study., Methods: Participants of the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP, N = 4105) were genotyped for the polymorphisms c.1507C > T in SLC22A4 (rs1050152) and -207C > G in SLC22A5 (rs2631367) using allele-specific real-time PCR assays. A total of 1817 subjects, 934 female and 883 male aged 30-80 years, underwent follow-up 10 years later (SHIP-2) and were assessed for adiposity and tooth loss., Results: The frequencies of the rarer SLC22A4 TT and SLC22A5 CC alleles were 16.7% and 20.3%, respectively. In women, tooth loss was associated with genotype TT vs. CC with incidence rate ratio IRR = 0.74 (95%C.I. 0.60-0.92) and CC vs. GG IRR = 0.79 (0.65-0.96) for SLC22A4 and SLC22A5 SNPs, respectively. In men, no such associations were observed. In the follow-up examination, the relationship between tooth loss and these SNPs was in parallel with measures of body shape such as BMI, body weight, waist circumference, or body fat accumulation. The association between muscle strength and body fat mass was modified by the genotypes studied., Conclusions: SLC22A4 c.150C > T and SLC22A5 -207C > G polymorphisms are associated with tooth loss and markers of body shape in women but not in men., Clinical Relevance: Tooth loss may be related to obesity beyond inflammatory mechanisms, conceivably with a genetic background.

Objectives: In this retrospective study, we compared tooth loss between patients receiving periodontal therapy (PT) in four German university centres, stratified according to periodontal treatment phase., Materials and Methods: Overall, 896 patients (Kiel (KI) n = 391; Greifswald (GW) n = 282; Heidelberg (HD) n = 174; Frankfurt a.M. (F) n = 49) were examined initially (T0), after active periodontal therapy (APT, T1) and after supportive periodontal therapy (SPT, T2). Descriptive analyses and multivariable negative binomial regression models were performed., Results: Follow-up periods differed significantly between the centres, ranging between 6.7 ± 3.0 (GW) and 18.2 ± 5.5 (KI) years (p < 0.001). At T0, age, gender, smoking and diabetes showed notable regional distinctions (p < 0.001). However, the number of teeth per patient was similar (between 24.0 ± 4.6 (F) and 24.5 ± 4.1 (HD); p = 0.27). During PT, the number of extracted teeth differed significantly between centres, with greater differences during SPT (0.9 ± 1.8 (GW) to 2.3 ± 2.8 (KI), p < 0.001) compared to APT (0.4 ± 0.9 (F) to 1.0 ± 2.1 (KI), p = 0.02). Annual tooth loss during SPT remained low in all centres (between 0.10 ± 0.14 (F) to 0.15 ± 0.30 (HD), p < 0.001)., Conclusion: Within the limitation of the study, PT leads to a low risk of tooth loss in all university centres irrespective of patients' baseline characteristics., Clinical Relevance: Within the limitations of this retrospective investigation, long-term tooth retention seems to be feasible for most patients, as long as a systematic and structured treatment approach is applied., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Prediction models learn patterns from available data (training) and are then validated on new data (testing). Prediction modeling is increasingly common in dental research. We aimed to evaluate how different model development and validation steps affect the predictive performance of tooth loss prediction models of patients with periodontitis. Two independent cohorts (627 patients, 11,651 teeth) were followed over a mean ± SD 18.2 ± 5.6 y (Kiel cohort) and 6.6 ± 2.9 y (Greifswald cohort). Tooth loss and 10 patient- and tooth-level predictors were recorded. The impact of different model development and validation steps was evaluated: 1) model complexity (logistic regression, recursive partitioning, random forest, extreme gradient boosting), 2) sample size (full data set or 10%, 25%, or 75% of cases dropped at random), 3) prediction periods (maximum 10, 15, or 20 y or uncensored), and 4) validation schemes (internal or external by centers/time). Tooth loss was generally a rare event (880 teeth were lost). All models showed limited sensitivity but high specificity. Patients' age and tooth loss at baseline as well as probing pocket depths showed high variable importance. More complex models (random forest, extreme gradient boosting) had no consistent advantages over simpler ones (logistic regression, recursive partitioning). Internal validation (in sample) overestimated the predictive power (area under the curve up to 0.90), while external validation (out of sample) found lower areas under the curve (range 0.62 to 0.82). Reducing the sample size decreased the predictive power, particularly for more complex models. Censoring the prediction period had only limited impact. When the model was trained in one period and tested in another, model outcomes were similar to the base case, indicating temporal validation as a valid option. No model showed higher accuracy than the no-information rate. In conclusion, none of the developed models would be useful in a clinical setting, despite high accuracy. During modeling, rigorous development and external validation should be applied and reported accordingly.

The aim of the present study was to construct a biological age score reflecting one's physiologic capability and aging condition with respect to tooth loss over 10 y. From the follow-up to the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania (i.e., SHIP-2), 2,049 participants were studied for their baseline biomarker measures 10 y before (i.e., in SHIP-0). Metabolic and periodontal data were regressed onto chronological age to construct a score designated as "biological age." For either sex separately, the impact of this individualized score was used to predict tooth loss in the follow-up cohort in comparison with each participant's chronological age. Outcome data after 10 y with respect to tooth loss, periodontitis, obesity, and inflammation were shown to be better for biologically younger subjects than as expected by their chronological age, whereas for the older subjects, data were worse. Especially for tooth loss, a striking increase was observed in subjects whose biological age at baseline appeared to be higher than their chronological age. Biological age produced significantly better tooth loss predictions than chronological age ( P < 0.001). Areas under receiver operating characteristic curves for tooth loss of ≥3 teeth in men during follow-up were 0.811 and 0.745 for biological and chronological age, respectively. For women, these figures were 0.788 and 0.724. For total tooth loss, areas under the curve were 0.890 and 0.749 in men and 0.872 and 0.752 in women. Biological age combines various measures into a single score and allows identifying individuals at increased risk of tooth loss.

Aims: This study aimed to assess 11-year longitudinal effects of powered toothbrush on periodontal health, caries and tooth loss in an adult population., Materials and Methods: Participants of Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP) cohort with dental examinations and interview data at SHIP-1, SHIP-2 or SHIP-3 examinations were included. Mixed-effects linear regression models were constructed between the exposure (manual versus powered toothbrush) and outcome variables (periodontal status using mean probing depth (PD) and mean clinical attachment loss (CAL), caries status using DMFS and DFS scores, and tooth loss), adjusting for potential baseline covariates., Results: Final baseline (SHIP-1) study sample comprised of 2,819 participants. Powered toothbrush users increased from 18.3% (SHIP-1) to 36.9% (SHIP-3); were younger; had significantly less mean PD [β: -0.09 (95% CI: -0.16; -0.02)] and mean CAL [β: -0.19 (95% CI: -0.32; -0.07)] progressions; and had 17.7% less DMFS progression and 19.5% more teeth retained than the manual toothbrushers., Conclusions: In the long-term, powered toothbrush seems to be effective in reducing mean PD and mean CAL progressions, besides increasing the number of teeth retained., (© 2019 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Periodontology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: With more teeth retained for longer in an ageing population, population-wide periodontal treatment needs may increase. We assessed and projected periodontal treatment needs from 1997 to 2030 in Germany., Methods: Partial-mouth probing-pocket depths (PPDs) from repeated waves (1997, 2005, 2014) of the nationally representative German Oral Health Studies were transformed into full-mouth PPDs via decision-tree-based ensemble-modelling. In line with German healthcare-regulations, teeth with PPD ≥ 4 mm were regarded as needing periodontal treatment. Weighted means were interpolated cross-sectionally by fitting spline-curves and then regressed longitudinally 1997-2030., Results: In 1997, younger adults (35-44 years old) had a mean of 7.4 teeth needing treatment (overall 93.8 million teeth); this decreased to 4.8 teeth (47.3 million teeth) in 2014. For 2030, we project 3.2 teeth (33.7 million teeth). In seniors, an increase was recorded (1997: 4.5 teeth, 33.5 million teeth; 2014: 7.5 teeth, 63.4 million teeth); this is expected to continue until 2030 (to 12.2 teeth, 140.8 million teeth). The cumulative number of teeth needing treatment increased from 2000 (355 million) to 2015 (365 million), and will increase further to 2030 (464 million)., Conclusions: Population-wide periodontal treatment needs may increase until 2030, mainly in the elderly. Concepts for addressing, these growing needs are required., (© 2018 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Periodontology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Aim: To assess the suitability of self-reported oral health status to predict 5- and 10-year tooth loss without involvement of any clinical measures., Materials and Methods: Within the population Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP), 2,776 subjects with 5-year follow-up data and 2,016 subjects with 10-year follow-up examination data were studied. Self-rated oral health was assessed at baseline and related to 5- and 10-year tooth loss. Odds ratios and probability of loss were estimated., Results: Five- and 10-year tooth loss was significantly associated with baseline self-rated oral health. The predictive value of oral health ratings for tooth loss was comparable to that of the CDC/AAP case definition or caries and periodontitis diagnostics. In regression analyses including age, sex, smoking, education, income, and further items collected from questionnaires, odds ratios for dichotomous tooth loss associated with rating of oral health as poor were 3.04 (95% CI: 2.43-3.82) and 2.80 (2.11-3.71) after 5 and 10 years, respectively. Prediction with cut-off probability at 0.25 resulted in sensitivity 85.8% and specificity 44.2% for 5 years, and that with cut-off probability at 0.40 resulted in sensitivity 83.5% and specificity 46.5% for 10 years., Conclusion: Self-reported oral health provides reliable predictions of tooth loss comparable to those assessed by clinical diagnostics., (© 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Rate of progression of periodontitis has been used to inform the design of classifications of periodontal diseases. However, the evidence underpinning this topic is unclear and no systematic review has yet been conducted., Objectives: The focused question for this systematic review was: in adults, what is the progression of periodontitis in terms of clinical attachment loss, radiographic bone loss, and tooth loss?, Data Sources: Highly sensitive electronic search was conducted for published data in MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, and unpublished grey literature in OpenGrey up to February 2016. Reference lists of retrieved studies for full-text screening and reviews were hand-searched for potentially eligible studies., Study Eligibility Criteria and Participants: Prospective, longitudinal observational studies with follow-up of at least 12 months and presenting data on the primary outcome, change in clinical attachment level, in adults (age ≥18 years). Secondary outcomes, tooth loss and bone level change, were only assessed in studies reporting the primary outcome. Studies investigating specific disease populations or only on treated periodontitis patients were excluded., Study Appraisal and Synthesis Methods: Risk of bias and methodology were assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale with two additional questions on security of outcome assessment. Studies were pooled by abstracting or estimating mean annual attachment or bone level change and annual tooth loss. Random effects meta-analysis was conducted with investigation of effect of potential modifiers where possible., Results: A total 11,482 records were screened for eligibility; 33 publications of 16 original studies reporting on more than 8,600 participants were finally included as eligible for the review. The studies represented populations from both developing and developed economies. Mean annual attachment loss was 0.1 mm per year (95% CI 0.068, 0.132; I 2  = 99%) and mean annual tooth loss was 0.2 teeth per year (95% CI 0.10, 0.33; I 2  = 94%). Observational analysis of highest and lowest mean attachment change quintiles suggested substantial differences between groups with minimal annual change in the lowest quintile and an average deterioration of 0.45 mm mean attachment loss per year in the highest group. This value increased to 0.6 mm per year with periodontitis alone. There was surprisingly little effect of age or gender on attachment level change. Geographic location, however, was associated with more than three times higher mean annual attachment loss in Sri Lanka and China (0.20 mm, 95% CI 0.15, 0.27; I 2  = 83%) vs North America and Europe (0.056 mm, 95% CI 0.025, 0.087; I 2  = 99%) P < 0.001., Limitations: There were a limited number of studies (N = 16), high variability of design in key study components (sampling frames, included ages, data analyses), and high statistical heterogeneity that could not be explained., Conclusions: Within the limitations of the research, the data show that mean annual attachment level change varies considerably both within and between populations. Overall, the evidence does not support or refute the differentiation between forms of periodontal diseases based upon progression of attachment level change., (© 2018 American Academy of Periodontology and European Federation of Periodontology.)

Background: Aging is associated with a decline in masticatory muscles mass and performance. The present study aims to examine the differences in the cross-sectional areas of the masseter, medial and lateral pterygoid muscles in relation to age and the present dental status in a population-based magnetic resonance imaging study., Methods: This cross sectional study involved 747 subjects aged between 30-89 years (344 male, 403 female) who underwent both a whole body MRI and a full oral examination. The cross-sectional areas of the masseter, medial and lateral pterygoid muscles were measured from MRI images using the software Osirix. Dental and prosthetic status data from the oral examination were classified according to Eichner index. The method of generalized least squares, also called growth curve model, was used to examine the associations between the cross-sectional areas, age and tooth status., Results: The cross-sectional area of the lateral pterygoid muscle decreased substantially with age in women but did not depend on age in men. The medial pterygoid muscle depended on age but an effect modification by gender was uncertain. Masseter muscle was weakly associated with age but strongly associated with the number of teeth in both genders., Conclusions: Our findings suggest that age has a heterogeneous effect on masticatory muscles. This indicates that age related changes to the masticatory muscles are muscle specific and are not consistent between the different muscles., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests

Aim: We aimed to assess the association between furcation involvement (FI) and tooth loss for subjects not undergoing regular periodontal treatment., Materials and Methods: Data from 2333 subjects participating in the baseline and 11-year follow-up of the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP) were used. All subjects had half-mouth periodontal examinations, including FI in one upper and one lower molar, at baseline. A total of 1897 subjects and 3267 molars were included in the final analysis., Results: In total, 375 subjects (19.8%) lost molars during the follow-up period. Respectively, 5.6%, 12.7%, 34.0% and 55.6% of molars without FI, degree I FI, degree II FI and degree III FI were lost. Initial probing pocket depth (PPD) and clinical attachment level (CAL) were associated with molar loss (p < .001). Baseline degree I FI was associated with a 1.73 IRR (incidence rate ratio) (95% CI=1.34-2.23, p < .001) of tooth loss while degree II-III was associated with a 3.88 IRR (95% CI=2.94-5.11, p < .001) of tooth loss compared to molars without FI at baseline., Conclusion: This study provides evidence for an increased risk of molar loss affected by periodontal furcation involvement in a general population not undergoing regular periodontal care., (© 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objectives: Android and gynoid adiposity is differently involved on inflammatory responses in men or women in periodontitis and tooth loss. We tested the hypothesis whether identical waist-to-hip ratios (WHR) in men and women could abolish this disparity., Materials and Methods: Data of 2746 participants from the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP) were analysed. Men and women were 1:1 matched, N = 344:344, in three age strata for waist-to-hip ratio. We determined anthropometric measures, attachment loss, tooth loss and markers of systemic inflammation., Results: Women matched with men by WHR had increased periodontal measures as compared to women of the general population. Nevertheless, in the matched pairs incidence risk (IRR) ratios for any tooth loss associated with elevated C-reactive protein were IRR = 2.15 (CI 1.33-3.40) and 1.04 (0.66-1.66) in men and women, respectively. Regression with tooth loss due to any cause as dependent variable showed dose dependency on C-reactive protein levels in men but not in women. The adjusted IRR associated with high C-reactive protein in men was 1.37 (CI 1.05-1.78) and 2.63 (1.58-4.38) in general and in matched subjects, respectively., Conclusion: Systemic inflammation was associated with tooth loss in men but not in women even in women with wide girth. Despite worsened periodontal measures and inflammation in women matched for body shape with men, these women do not lose more teeth even when they are exposed to increased markers of systemic inflammation., Clinical Relevance: This is an attempt to disentangle the unclear relationship between obesity and periodontitis, both of them having public health relevance.

The authors evaluated the association of reduced bone stiffness of the calcaneus with clinical attachment loss (CAL) and tooth loss. The authors analyzed data from 4,678 subjects (2,384 women), aged 20 to 88 y, from the second follow-up of the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-2) and the baseline examination of the SHIP-Trend cohort. Bone stiffness, characterized by the stiffness index (SI) and the osteoporotic fracture risk (OFR), was assessed by quantitative ultrasound of the heel. SI and OFR were significantly associated with the mean CAL in women. While 1) the SI showed a significant association with the mean CAL and 2) the OFR with the median number of teeth in just the postmenopausal women, the OFR showed a significant association with mean CAL for both pre- and postmenopausal women. In postmenopausal women, a 10-unit increase in the SI was associated with a decrease in the mean CAL of 0.05 mm (95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.10 to 0.00; P = 0.046). Moreover, the adjusted median number of teeth was 21.4 (95% CI: 20.9 to 21.9) among the postmenopausal women with a low OFR, while it was 19.1 (95% CI: 17.8 to 20.3; P = 0.001) among the postmenopausal women with a high OFR. For the premenopausal women with a low OFR, the mean CAL was 1.60 mm (95% CI: 1.53 to 1.66), while for the premenopausal women with a high OFR, it was 2.24 mm (95% CI: 1.78 to 2.69; P = 0.006). Reduced bone stiffness was associated with clinical attachment and tooth loss in women but not in men., (© International & American Associations for Dental Research 2016.)

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the prospective association between sex steroid concentrations with periodontal progression and incident tooth loss in men and women., Methods: We used data from 1465 women and 1838 men (age 20-81 years) with completed five-year-follow-up from the Study-of-Health-in-Pomerania, a population-based longitudinal cohort. Serum levels of total testosterone (TT) and other sex steroids were measured. Mean clinical attachment loss (CAL) and the number of teeth were assessed. Generalized regression models were implemented for cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, adjusting for age, education, smoking, waist circumference, diabetes, physical activity, blood sampling time and time between baseline and follow-up., Results: Fully adjusted models revealed no consistent associations between TT and mean CAL, neither in cross-sectional [men: ß = -0.0004 (-0.023;0.022), p = 0.97; women: ß = -0.033 (-0.057; -0.009), p = 0.006] nor in longitudinal analyses [men: ß = -0.033 (-0.100;0.034), p = 0.33; women: ß = -0.023 (-0.086;0.040), p = 0.47]. For tooth loss, neither cross-sectional nor longitudinal associations with any of the sex steroid concentrations were found., Conclusions: No consistent associations of sexual steroids with periodontal progression or tooth loss were found. Further cohort studies are necessary to evaluate possible associations between endocrinological parameters, like supra- or subphysiologic testosterone concentrations, and periodontal progression or tooth loss., (© 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Aim: The aim of this study was to identify long-term prognostic factors for the loss of molars with different degrees of furcation involvement (FI) during supportive periodontal therapy (SPT)., Methods: Three hundred and seventy-nine compliant subjects with 2373 molars at baseline were retrospectively assessed. After nonsurgical (n = 76) or surgical (n = 303) non-regenerative active periodontal therapy (APT: T0-T1), patients remained under SPT (T1-T2) for 18.3 ± 5.5 (9-30.8) years. Association between tooth- and subject-related factors with tooth loss was assessed using multilevel Cox regression-analysis., Results: During APT 159 and during SPT 438 molars were extracted in 256 subjects, respectively, yielding an overall survival of 74.8% (T2). Survival probabilities after 15-years of SPT were 92.4% for molars with FI-0 compared to FI-1 = 85.6%, FI-2 = 74.9% and FI-3 = 62.3%. The risk of molar loss was significantly increased for teeth with FI-3 (hazard ratio: 2.39 [95% confidence interval: 1.54-3.70]), bone loss >50% (2.16 [1.36-3.42]), mobile teeth (2.07 [1.51-2.84]), maxillary molars (1.44 [1.12-1.85]) and endodontically treated teeth (1.89 [1.58-2.26]). For each mm of mean residual pocket probing depth, the hazard of tooth loss increased 1.89-fold (1.58-2.26). On a subject level, for each year of age, HR was 1.03 (1.01-1.05)., Conclusions: Furcation involvement, bone loss, tooth mobility, mean pocket depth and age strongly predicted tooth loss during SPT. Long-term retention of periodontally compromised molars was possible via conservative non-regenerative active and supportive therapy., (© 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Sex-specific differences in the incidence of periodontitis and tooth loss may be related to different phenotypes of obesity and their associations with low-grade inflammation. The aim of this study was to evaluate associations of adiposity and low-grade inflammation with tooth loss in men and women. Follow-up data of 2,714 participants from the cohort of Study of Health in Pomerania were analyzed for anthropometric measures, periodontitis, tooth loss, C-reactive protein (CRP), and interleukin 6. Regression analyses were used to estimate the effect of obesity on tooth loss within sex strata. During the follow-up period, men lost more teeth in relation to their obesity status than did women. In contrast, there was a steeper increase in CRP levels across obesity levels in women as compared to men. Incidence rate ratio (IRR) of tooth loss associated with elevated CRP, however, was higher in men (IRR = 1.50; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.27, 1.77) than women (IRR = 1.18; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.37). Negative binomial regression with number of lost teeth as outcome revealed dose-response dependencies on body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio. Adjusted for covariates, the IRR of tooth loss associated with the third tertile of waist-to-hip ratio was 1.37 (95% CI: 1.04, 1.80) and 1.53 (95% CI: 1.14, 2.05) in men and women, respectively. Tooth loss related to CRP cutoff of 2 mg/L was significant in men (IRR = 1.33; 95% CI: 1.07, 1.66; p = .006) but not in women (IRR = 0.92; 95% CI: 0.73, 1.17; p = .689). This study suggests that both adiposity and subclinical inflammation affect tooth loss, with distinct differences between men and women. Obesity as a risk factor of tooth loss is particularly related to CRP in men but not in women., (© International & American Associations for Dental Research.)

Vitamin D deficiency and oral diseases (periodontitis, caries, and tooth loss) are highly prevalent in Germany. Previous studies suggested that vitamin D might be a modifiable and protective factor for periodontitis, caries, and tooth loss. However, prospective studies investigating such associations are limited. We explored the association between the concentration of serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25OHD) and incidence of tooth loss, progression of clinical attachment loss (CAL) ≥ 3 mm, and progression of restorative and caries status in a population-based longitudinal study. We analyzed data from 1,904 participants from the Study of Health in Pomerania with a five-year follow-up. Generalized estimating equation models were applied to evaluate tooth-specific associations between serum 25OHD and incidence of tooth loss, progression of CAL ≥ 3 mm, and progression of restorative and caries status. Age, sex, education, smoking status, alcohol drinking, waist circumference, dental visit frequency, reasons of dental visit, vitamin D or calcium supplements, and season of blood draw were considered as confounders. Serum 25OHD was inversely associated with incidence of tooth loss. A significant dose-response relationship (p = .0022) was observed across the quintiles of serum 25OHD. After adjusting for multiple confounders, each 10-µg/L increase of serum 25OHD was associated with a 13% decreased risk of tooth loss (risk ratio: 0.87; 95% confidence interval: 0.79, 0.96). The association was attenuated for changes of CAL ≥ 3 mm when adjusting for multiple confounders. No significant association was found between serum 25OHD and caries progression. Vitamin D might be a protective factor for tooth loss. The effect might partially be mediated by its effect on periodontitis., (© International & American Associations for Dental Research.)

Background: Statins, frequently prescribed in lipid-lowering therapies, seem to have additional beneficial effects on periodontitis and tooth loss. If this is true, then chronic treatment with statins should also result in diminished tooth loss as a long-term response., Methods: A 5-year population-based follow-up study of tooth loss was performed comparing participants treated with statins (n = 134) with those not on the drugs (Study of Health in Pomerania). Negative binomial regression models were used to analyze the count variable of the outcome, including risk factors for tooth loss and measures of cholesterol metabolism., Results: When adjusted for age and sex, statins were associated with reduced tooth loss during the follow-up period (incidence risk ratio [IRR] = 0.70, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.50 to 0.99, P = 0.04). When additionally adjusted for risk factors of periodontal breakdown, IRR was 0.72 (95% CI = 0.52 to 1.01). There was significant interaction with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) at baseline. After stratification by LDL-c, statins were associated with reduced tooth loss, resulting in IRR = 0.89 (95% CI = 0.44 to 1.83) and 0.64 (95% CI = 0.43 to 0.95), P = 0.03, at LDL-c concentrations ≤100 mg/dL and >100 mg/dL (2.58 mmol/L), respectively. The data also showed reduced tooth loss associated with the 5-year reduction in LDL-c levels on a mmol/L basis and independently of statins (IRR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.80 to 0.96, P = 0.004)., Conclusion: Long-term treatment with systemically administered statins may have the beneficial effect of protecting against tooth loss.

Background: A dentition of at least 20 teeth is associated with sufficient masticatory efficiency and is a stated health goal of the World Health Organisation. We examined whether subjects with missing, unreplaced teeth had an increased mortality risk., Methods: We used data prospectively collected from those participants in the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania who had fewer than 20 remaining teeth, resulting in a sample of 1803 participants with a median age of 64 years. Of those, 188 subjects had 9 or more unreplaced teeth. During a median follow-up period of 9.9 years, 362 subjects died, 128 of whom of cardiovascular causes., Results: We found that having 9 or more unreplaced teeth was related to all-cause mortality (rate ratio 1.53, 95% CI: 1.11-2.10; adjusted for variables according to causal diagrams: remaining teeth, age, sex, education, income, marital status, partnership, and oral health behaviour) and cardiovascular mortality (rate ratio 1.94, 95% CI: 1.15-3.25). When adjusting not only for the variables according to causal diagrams but also for smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia, the rate ratio was 1.43 (95% CI: 1.05-1.96) for all-cause mortality and 1.88 (95% CI: 1.10-3.21) for cardiovascular mortality., Conclusions: A reduced, unrestored dentition is associated with increased mortality risk. Thus, clinicians and dietitians have a responsibility to consider individual chewing ability in nutritional recommendations., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Long-term outcomes of conservative periodontal and prosthetic treatment of patients with moderate to severe periodontitis were to be evaluated. Groups of younger (YG) and middle-aged patients (MG) were to be compared regarding survival of fixed and removable dental prostheses (FDP, RDP) inserted after active periodontal therapy (APT). In addition, functional-occlusal status over more than 10 years of supportive periodontal therapy (SPT) was analysed., Methods: The present multi-case-series retrospectively analysed data of 68 patients (34 YG and 34 MG) who had received APT and regular SPT ≥10 years. Tooth loss, occlusal status and survival and complications of prosthetics were evaluated descriptively and comparatively (t-test)., Results: There was no statistical difference between YG and MG concerning tooth loss/year (p > 0.05). Functional-occlusal status was retained during SPT in 75% and 69% of YG and MG. Restorations inserted after APT showed high survival for both age groups (100%). Mean survival time until the last SPT visit was 15.2 and 11.6 years for FDP and RDP in YG, and 12.5 and 13.1 years in MG., Conclusions: Prosthetic restorations in both younger and middle-aged patients with severe periodontitis showed high survival, if pre-prosthetic APT and regular SPT had been performed., (© 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objectives: Previous investigations have confirmed that every fifth dental patient suffers from clinically significant depressive symptoms. However, the putative impact of depressive symptoms on the prosthetic status has not been addressed in these studies. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between depressive symptoms and prosthetic status based on data from the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-0)., Methods: Data from 2,135 participants aged 30 to 59 years were analyzed. A classification (six classes regarding the number and position of missing teeth per jaw) was used to identify the degree of prosthetic status (no/suboptimal/optimal tooth replacement). The presence of depressive symptoms was assessed with a modified version of von Zerssen's complaints scale. Screening for lifetime diagnoses of mental disorders was performed with the Composite International Diagnostic-Screener (CID-S). Multivariable logistic regressions including several confounders were calculated., Results: A significant protective dose-response effect of depressive symptoms on prosthetic status was found only in men for the lower jaw [0-1 depressive symptoms: odds ratio (OR) = 3.84, 95 % confidence interval (CI, 1.65-8.92), p < 0.01; 2-3: OR = 2.87 (CI, 1.22-6.74), p < 0.05; reference, ≥8; adjusted for age, school education, smoking status, household income, marital status, living without a partner, risky alcohol consumption, obesity, diabetes, and physical activity]. There was no such association in women or for the upper jaw. The analyses using the CID-S confirmed these results., Conclusions: In the lower jaw, men with depressive symptoms had a better prosthetic status than men without depressive symptoms suggesting a higher level of concern regarding their personal health., Clinical Relevance: If dentists might have an opportunity to identify men with depressive symptoms they can provide a wide range of treatment options that may enhance patients' self-esteem and contribute to the patient' well-being. Furthermore, depressive symptoms could indicate a discrepancy between self-perception of the dental health and the actual status which influence the dentists' treatment decision making.

Aim: To examine the associations between factors of socio-economic status (SES), systemic inflammation and the progression of periodontitis and incidence of tooth loss., Material and Methods: Data of 2566 participants from the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP) with a 5-year follow-up were analysed. We evaluated attachment loss and tooth loss with regard to social variables including education, income, marital status and related risks such as smoking and obesity., Results: Socio-economic factors were associated with the progression of attachment level and tooth loss during the follow-up period. Low education and low income were associated with tooth loss (incidence risk ratio IRR 1.63, p < 0.001 and 1.25, p < 0.001 respectively) and also progression of mean clinical attachment level (p < 0.010 and p = 0.046 respectively). SES as well as smoking and obesity were also associated with increased levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) with effect modifications between SES factors and CRP, also between gender and marital status. Tooth loss was associated with disadvantageous SES, particularly under conditions of high CRP levels (p < 0.001)., Conclusions: The progression of periodontal disease is influenced by socio-economic factors. Effect modifications of socio-behavioural factors by CRP indicate that under conditions of systemic inflammation adverse SES effects may be aggravated., (© 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S.)

Aim: To evaluate the association of Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF) I-related variables with periodontitis in the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP)., Material and Methods: From the cross-sectional SHIP, 2293 subjects with clinical attachment loss (CAL) data and 2398 subjects with tooth count data aged 20-59 years were analysed. Serum IGF-I and IGF-binding protein (BP)-3 levels were determined by chemiluminescence immunoassays. Linear and logistic regressions with fractional polynomials were used to study associations between IGF-related variables and mean CAL or high tooth loss. For non-linear relations between IGFBP-3 and mean CAL, graphical presentations of fractional polynomials were used to deduce knots for linear splines., Results: In fully adjusted models, for serum IGFBP-3 values ≤1200 ng/ml, mean CAL increased significantly for decreasing serum IGFBP-3 levels [B = -0.027 (95% CI, -0.049; -0.005), p = 0.02]. The odds for high tooth loss decreased significantly for high serum IGFBP-3 values [OR = 0.97 (0.95; 0.99), p = 0.02]. Serum IGF-I levels and the IGF-I/IGFBP-3 ratio were not related to mean CAL or tooth loss after full adjustment., Conclusions: Low serum IGFBP-3 levels might be associated with higher levels of periodontal disease. Neither serum IGF-I nor IGF-I/IGFBP-3 ratios were associated with periodontitis., (© 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.)

Aim: To assess the suitability of different definitions of caries and periodontitis for inclusion in tooth loss prediction models., Materials and Methods: The Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP) is a population-based cohort study conducted in 1997-2001 (SHIP-0) and 2002-2006 (SHIP-1). This sample comprised 2,780 subjects aged 20-81 years with complete information on dental and periodontal status [DMFS status, clinical attachment loss (CAL) and probing depth (PD)]. Analyses on five-year tooth loss were limited to half-mouth data., Results: The predictive value of tested definitions was markedly age- and gender-dependent: in 20-39-aged men, the number of decayed or filled surfaces best predicted the number of lost teeth, whereas in young women CAL≥4 mm performed best. In older subjects, periodontal definitions were superior to caries definitions: mean CAL performed best in 40-59-year olds, whereas AL- or PD-related definitions predicted best in 60-81-year olds. On tooth level, mean CAL was the superior definition to assess 5-year incident tooth loss in all strata except for young men., Conclusions: Caries parameters best predicted incident tooth loss in men aged 20-39 years; in the intermediate and oldest age group and in young women, mean AL was most informative. Therefore, prediction models need to be developed for different age and gender groups., (© 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.)

Obesity and edentulism are both associated with multiple systemic disorders with an inflammatory background including periodontal diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the different impact of obesity on inflammation in dentate and toothless subjects. The data came from the population-based, cross-sectional study SHIP (Study of Health in Pomerania). We determined anthropometric measures including BMI, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), diagnostic periodontal parameters, and systemic metabolites. It was shown that measures of systemic markers of inflammation and lipid or glucose metabolism (P < 0.001) were increased with higher WHR. When adjusted for age, sex, smoking, diabetes, education, physical activity, and last dentist's appointment, C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, and leukocyte count were significantly related to WHR increasing from the first to the fourth WHR quartile (P < 0.001) as well as to the BMI. In both dentate and edentulous subjects higher WHR contributes significantly to increasing systemic CRP and fibrinogen with sex differences. In toothless subjects, while still dependent on increasing WHR, the inflammatory markers CRP and fibrinogen were higher than in dentate subjects, thereby revealing effect modification between sex and edentulism (P < 0.010). In conclusion, subjects with total tooth loss, although devoid of periodontal inflammation, may exhibit increased levels of systemic inflammatory mediators. Possible implications are discussed with respect to obesity and its relationship to inflammation.

Objectives: Individual impact and the effect magnitude of socioeconomic key indicators (income, education and occupation) and of gender on oral health are ambiguous. In primary analyses of cross-sectional data among participants of the Study of Health in Pomerania (north-east Germany), women with low school education and low income were at highest risk for missing teeth, whereas being single was a risk indicator for missing teeth in men. Using the 5-year follow-up of this study, we aimed at verifying these findings and at investigating the gender-dependent impact of key socioeconomic indicators on tooth loss., Methods: The longitudinal data originate from 1971 subjects (1062 women) aged 25-59 enrolled from 1997 to 2001 and again from 2002 to 2006. The effects of marital status, household income, school education and occupational prestige for tooth loss were examined by gender using negative binomial regression analyses., Results: Low education and low income were moderately [relative risks (RR) between 1.6 and 2.0] associated with tooth loss among both women and men, whereas occupational prestige was not. After multiple imputations of missing data, less-educated women with lower income exhibited the highest risk of tooth loss [RR=3.1; 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.7-5.5 for <10 years of school education and the lowest income tertile] and tooth loss was more likely in single men (RR=1.5; 95% CI=1.0-2.2) than in single women (RR=0.9; 95% CI=0.6-1.3)., Conclusions: The primary cross-sectional results were partly confirmed. Socioeconomic factors help to explain differences in tooth loss, although the causal pathways are speculative. To improve dental health, the policies should target not only the individual, e.g. oral health promotion, but also an entire population by better education and higher wage employment., (© 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.)

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the survival rates of questionable and hopeless teeth in patients with aggressive periodontitis (AgP) and chronic periodontitis (CP) during 15 years of supportive periodontal therapy (SPT)., Materials and Methods: Thirty-four AgP and 34 CP patients (SPT≥10 years) with bone loss of ≥50% at ≥2 teeth were consecutively recruited. Bone loss was measured on digitized radiographs and teeth were categorized as "questionable" (≥50 to <70% bone loss) or as "hopeless" (≥70%). Progression in pocket probing depths (PPD) during SPT, tooth loss and reasons for extraction were analysed., Results: In AgP patients, 262 teeth were considered as questionable and 63 as hopeless (CP: 149/51). During active periodontal therapy, 25 questionable and 26 hopeless teeth were extracted (CP: 12/16). During 15.3 ± 4.1 years of SPT of AgP 28 questionable and 15 hopeless teeth were removed (CP: 28/12). The mean tooth loss per patient during SPT in total was 0.14 (AgP) and 0.16 (CP) teeth/year. There were no significant differences in tooth loss or longitudinal progression of PPD between AgP and CP patients., Conclusions: In patients with AgP, 88.2% (209 of 237) of questionable and 59.5% (22 of 37) of hopeless teeth survived 15 years during regular SPT in a dental school department., (© 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.)

This review gives an update on recent epidemiologic data on periodontal diseases and a description of current periodontal services in Europe. A Medline search of articles published within the last decade with the keywords epidemiology, prevalence, periodontitis, tooth loss, and Europe was performed. Data on provision of dental services originated from international databases. Epidemiologic data on the prevalence of edentulism, the number of missing teeth, the prevalence of probing depth (Community Periodontal Index - CPI >or= 3 or Pocket Depth - PD >or= 4 mm), and clinical attachment loss (CAL >or= 4 mm) displayed a fragmentary picture within Europe. With respect to the limited data on periodontal health, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland ranked as the healthiest among European countries in contrast to Germany where increased tooth loss and the highest prevalence of CAL >or= 4 mm were reported. The role of dental auxiliaries especially of dental hygienists and/or the medico-legal framework in which they work, appears to be an important factor in provision of effective periodontal care. Actual epidemiologic data on periodontal diseases are non-homogeneous and absent from several European countries. This emphasises the need for more national representative epidemiological studies with a uniform design to permit comparability between different nations. Merging actual epidemiologic data with former data on provision of periodontal care may help to explain differences in periodontal parameters on a population basis and to define future provision of dental care.

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine whether both type 1 (T1DM) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are associated with increased prevalence and extent of periodontal disease and tooth loss compared with non-diabetic subjects within a homogeneous adult study population., Material and Methods: T1DM, T2DM and non-diabetic subjects were recruited from the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania. Additionally, T1DM subjects were retrieved from a Diabetes Centre. The total study population comprised 145 T1DM and 2647 non-diabetic subjects aged 20-59 years, and 182 T2DM and 1314 non-diabetic subjects aged 50-81 years. Periodontal disease was assessed by attachment loss (AL) and the number of missing teeth., Results: Multivariable regression revealed an association between T1DM (p<0.001) and T2DM (p<0.01) with mean AL after full adjustment. After age stratification (p=0.04 for interaction), the effect of T2DM was only statistically significant in the 60-69-year-old subjects (B=0.90 (95% confidence intervals [95% CI]; 0.49, 1.31). T1DM was positively associated with tooth loss (adjusted, p<0.001). The association between T2DM and tooth loss was statistically significant only for females (odds ratios=1.60 [95% CI: 1.10, 2.33])., Conclusions: Our study confirmed an association between both T1DM and T2DM with periodontitis and tooth loss. Therefore, oral health education should be promoted in diabetic subjects.

Objectives: Chronic subclinical inflammation may elevate the risk of cognitive impairment. Periodontitis is associated with subclinical inflammation and accounts in part for tooth loss. The hypothesis was tested that periodontitis and tooth loss as a proxy of chronic periodontitis is associated with cognitive impairment in the elderly., Subjects and Methods: The population-based Study of Health in Pomerania comprises 1336 subjects (60-79 years). Cognitive impairment was assessed with the Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE). Tobit regression analyses were adjusted for potential confounders., Results: A decreased number of teeth was associated with lower MMSE scores in females (p<0.001) and males (p=0.007) in age-adjusted models. In the fully adjusted models, tooth loss was associated with cognitive impairment in females (p=0.002) but not in males (p=0.825)., Conclusions: A significant association between tooth loss and cognitive impairment was found in females that was not accounted for by potential confounders. Former periodontitis may account for this association as periodontitis was frequently the cause for tooth extractions.

Objectives: To analyse the possible effects of the socioeconomic status (SES) on the prosthetic replacement of missing teeth in working-age people and to explore the role of potential confounders., Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected from 2310 German adults aged 30-59 years. The relationship between each of the three SES indicators (education, income, and occupational status) and dental prostheses were examined by multinomial logistic regression analyses. For that, partially dentate participants with suboptimal and no replacement of missing teeth were compared with partially dentate participants having optimal replacement. Potential confounders (age, sex, dental status, social network and social support) were entered if their inclusion in the model led to >or= 10% change in the coefficient of interest., Results: Social network and social support did not meet the criterion for confounding. In the maxilla, having no replacement was positively associated with lower categories for each of the three SES indicators [Odds ratios (OR) between 1.6 and 2.1; 95% confidence intervals (CI) between 1.1 and 3.4]. Low occupational status was the single predictor for suboptimal dental prostheses (OR=3.2; 95% CI: 1.6-6.2). In the mandible, occupational status showed no association with the prosthetic status, whereas low educational level and low household income were determinants for having no replacement (OR=1.9 and 1.9, 95% CI: 1.0-3.5 and 1.1-3.0, respectively). Low household income was the single determinant for suboptimal replacement of missing teeth (OR=2.4, 95% CI=1.1-5.2)., Conclusion: The findings may indicate the relevance of the financing of prosthodontic treatment. The strong association between various forms of upper dentures and occupational prestige can be seen as key contributing concept to how individuals' characteristics affect the outcome in prosthodontic care.

Objective: Periodontal diseases are more prevalent in men than in women. However, in a population-based epidemiological study, we found that, on average, women have fewer teeth than men. The aim of this study was to test different hypotheses that could explain this obvious paradox., Design: In 4,290 randomly selected participants from the normal population (Study of Health in Pomerania), we determined diagnostic periodontal parameters, attachment loss, and number of teeth. Behavioral and environmental risk factors were assessed by interviews and questionnaires. Use of estrogens was assessed, and urinary excretion of collagen cross-links was determined., Results: Multiple regression analyses adjusted for caries and periodontitis revealed that in the women of this population, there is an inverse association between the number of children born and the number of teeth (P < 0.01). This relationship depends on socioeconomic status, bone metabolism, and the use of estrogens. In the group of the youngest (20-40 years), the bone turnover rate is positively related to the number of children born (P < 0.01). In postmenopausal women treated with estrogens, the number of teeth was higher than in men of the same age group. Only in women without hormone treatment were there fewer teeth., Conclusion: The apparent paradox of having fewer teeth despite better periodontal health in women compared with men is related to an increased bone turnover rate and socioeconomic conditions such as low education and low social status. Periodontal health is even worse if these factors are combined.

Objective: The goal of this study was to examine whether psychosocial conditions for general health described in the public health literature are also reflected in tooth loss., Methods: The relation of psychosocial factors to missing teeth was evaluated among 2,501 individuals aged 25 to 59 years from the population-based cross-sectional Study of Health in Pomerania using logistic regression analyses. The case group included 15 percent of participants of each 5-year age group with the highest number of missing teeth., Results: Unemployment, dose-dependent current and former smoking, a poor general health status, and a longer time since the last dental appointment were significant risk indicators for missing teeth. Alcohol consumption, use of interdental cleaning products, and checkup as the reason for the last dental visit were protective. Women with low education and low income were identified as a high-risk group for missing teeth by the three-way interaction between gender, school education, and household income. The effect of marital status was modified by gender: being single was a risk indicator for men but it was protective for women., Conclusions: The study supports the hypothesis that psychosocial conditions that affect health status as described in the general public health literature also have an effect on tooth loss. Strategies to prevent tooth loss may be expeditiously implemented in combination with approaches to prevent other health-related problems.

The aim of this study was to determine whether half-mouth examinations accurately reflect the dental and prosthetic status of the entire mouth. Samples of 1,830 adults aged 55- 79 years were examined. The rate of agreement between half- and full-mouth examinations was estimated using weighted and unweighted Kappa values comparing findings of each tooth bilaterally. A power analysis was performed to estimate the number of subjects representing complete dental recordings within a certain power. Subjects showed unweighted Kappa values from 0.34-0.96. Weighted Kappa values ranged from 0. 74-0.99. A power analysis for unweighted Kappa scores computed that.findings from 122-335 individuals were necessary to equal the results obtained using complete dental recordings.

Background: Tooth loss predicts total and circulatory mortality. The reasons for the increased mortality in subjects with a low number of teeth may be related to enhanced atherosclerosis, elevated arterial pressure and more frequent hypertension. The present study was designed to investigate whether there is an association between the number of teeth and arterial pressure or hypertension., Methods: We used data of 4185 adult subjects (2150 women) collected for the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania. The number of teeth was counted by trained and certified dentists. Hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure >or= 140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure >or= 90 mmHg or use of antihypertensive medication. Multivariable analyses were adjusted for relevant confounders., Results: The adjusted mean (standard error) systolic blood pressure in men having 0-6 teeth was 149.6 mmHg (1.3 mmHg) compared to 142.6 mmHg (1.2 mmHg) in men having 27-28 teeth (P < 0.05). The adjusted odds for hypertension in men with 0-6 teeth compared to men with 27-28 teeth were 1.91 (95% confidence interval 1.21; 3.02, P < 0.05). In women no such relations were found., Conclusion: There is an inverse association between the number of teeth and systolic blood pressure and hypertension in men but not in women. The present findings partly explain the relation between tooth loss and mortality.

Background: Several studies have shown that periodontal disease and atherosclerosis are associated. Aortic valve sclerosis (AVS) represents the sum of processes that are similar to the development of atherosclerosis. The present analysis was performed to investigate associations between periodontal disease, tooth loss, and AVS., Methods: The population-based SHIP was conducted in northeast Germany. A study population of 2341 individuals aged > or =45 years was available for the present analysis. Aortic valve sclerosis was determined by echocardiography. Periodontal status was assessed by attachment loss and tooth loss., Results: The prevalence of AVS was 29.9%. Logistic regression analyses did not reveal attachment loss as an independent risk factor for AVS. However, a reduced number of teeth was independently associated with AVS. Other risk factors for AVS were age, history of myocardial infarction, body mass index, pulse pressure, plasma fibrinogen and lipoprotein (a) levels, and the use of drugs that act on the renin-angiotensin system., Conclusion: A reduced number of teeth was independently associated with the risk of AVS. This finding further strengthens the link between oral health and cardiovascular disorders.

Background and Purpose: Males carry a disproportionate burden of cardiovascular disease. Because males also bear a higher burden of periodontal disease, we investigated the existence of gender differences in the postulated relationship between periodontal infections, tooth loss, and subclinical atherosclerosis., Methods: A total of 1710 randomly enrolled participants between the ages of 45 and 75 with no history of myocardial infarction or stroke received a clinical periodontal examination, carotid scan using high-resolution B-mode ultrasound, and extensive measurements for conventional cardiovascular risk factors (age, education, smoking, alcohol, body mass index, diabetes, systolic blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and triglycerides) as well as markers of healthy lifestyle and social network., Results: In both genders, measures of current and long-term periodontitis worsened as tooth loss increased. In males but not females, an approximately 10% difference in carotid artery plaque prevalence was observed between the lowest and highest tertiles of tooth loss (P<0.05) and long-term periodontitis (P=0.05) after multivariate adjustment. Similar patterns were observed for intima-media thickness. The influence of gender on carotid artery plaque prevalence was most evident among the younger age group (<59 years). Between genders, carotid plaque prevalence differed by 10%, 15%, and 25% across increasing levels of tooth loss, and by 5%, 15%, and 25% across increasing levels of long-term periodontitis., Conclusions: Our data suggest that tooth loss and long-term periodontitis are related to subclinical atherosclerosis in men but not women. Gender variations in cardiovascular morbidity or mortality may be explained partly by the differential contributions of novel risk factors across genders.