Severe periodontitis

According to research, in 2010, severe periodontitis was the sixth most prevalent condition in the world, affecting 743 million people worldwide.1 Between 1990 and 2010, the global age-standardised prevalence of severe periodontitis was static at 11.2%. The age-standardised incidence of severe periodontitis in 2010 was 701 cases per 100,000 person-years, a non-significant increase from the 1990 incidence of severe periodontitis. Prevalence increased gradually with age showing a steep increase between the third and fourth decades of life that was driven by a peak in incidence at around 38 years of age.

Dentures and pneumonia

Research published in the JDR Clinical Research Supplement in October says that sleeping in dentures doubles the risk of pneumonia in the elderly.2 A team of researchers in Japan investigated associations between a constellation of oral health behaviours and incidences of pneumonia in the community-living of elderly people.