Discussion
This is the first study reporting the prevalence and risk
indicators of three periodontal diseases among adults in
the northern part of Jordan. The prevalence of AgP was
2.2%, of CP was 5.5% and of gingivitis was 75.8%. The
comparison of the current results with previous studies
is hindered by the use of different nomenclature and
diagnostic criteria across studies. The prevalence of CP
was lower than expected, possibly because most participants
were young and educated, or because of the strict
exclusion criteria. The prevalence of AgP was within the
range reported in the US for whites (0.6%) and African
Americans (2.8%) [6]. A study on Jordanian adolescents
reported that deep pockets were found in only 0.29% of
the study sample [13]. A higher prevalence of AgP
(6.0%) has been recorded in Iraq [14] and in Brazil
(5.5%),[15] but a lower prevalence (1.7%) was reported
among Norwegian schoolchildren [14] than that
obtained in the present study.
Most participants were 20-29 years old, probably
reflecting the large proportion of young individuals in
the Jordanian population or the possibility that most
escorts were young. The lowest proportion of participants
was ≥ 50 years of age, probably because many
older individuals were patients (not escorts) and were
not recruited. All AgP subjects were under 30 years,
which is not surprising as it is universally accepted that
AgP starts early in life in susceptible individuals. Many
authors believe that age is not a risk determinant, but
the life time disease accumulation [16]. In the