Periodontal treatment needs of 35-year-old citizens in Oslo

The periodontal condition was evaluated according to the PI and the Periodontal Treatment Need System (PTNS) in a random sample of 35‐year‐old citizens of Oslo. The study demonstrated that periodontal disease was a major dental health problem despite the fact that 88.9 % of the subjects visited a dentist regularly. No statistically significant differences were found in PI, PTNS and OHI‐S values among the different sexes and educational groups. Although the majority of the subjects (77.8 %) brushed their teeth more than once a day, the oral hygiene status was not satisfactory (mean OHI‐S 1.56). The frequency of toothbrushing did not influence the mean PI scores. Dental hard and soft tissue lesions related to toothbrushing were found in 30.0 and 6.8 % of the subjects respectively, and more often among persons brushing more than once a day than among persons brushing less frequently.