Cross-sectional survey reveals tooth loss distorts clinical attachment loss metrics in older adults, suggesting surviving teeth mask cumulative lifetime damage.
Key Points
Determine whether severity-dependent tooth loss distorts population-level clinical attachment loss summaries across age groups.
Analyzed nationally representative oral health exam data from adults aged ≥ 30 years in NHANES 2009–2014.
Evaluated age-specific trajectories across mean and threshold-based clinical attachment loss (CAL) indices to assess divergence driven by tooth loss.
The proportion of measurable periodontal sites dropped from 93% at ages 30–34 to 68% at ages ≥ 80 years.
Attenuation was strongest for mean-based and high-threshold CAL summaries, whereas a lower threshold of CAL ≥ 3 mm showed more stable trajectories across ages.