Results
Table 1 displays demographic and
socioeconomic characteristics of the
sample and mean values and standard
deviations for measures of periodontal
health status. The mean age of the total sample was 43.6 (SD=15.9) years. The
youngest age group, 18 to 29 years,
comprised 20%o of the sample while
1 /4 of subjects was age 55 years or
older. More plaque and calculus were
found in the oldest subjects, and these
differences were statistically significant.
Mean pocket depth was less for the
youngest age group. As expected, loss of
periodontal attachment increased with
age. The youngest age group had lost
only 0.42 mm of attachment while the
oldest group had a mean attachment
loss of 2,3 mm. Differences among
groups for attachment loss were statistically
significant.