Periodontitis among the Taiwanese
Taiwan has some 9,700,000 adults with periodontitis but only 50% of them have visited a dentist for treatment. Each year, 6,000,000 to 7,000,000 visit the dentist to have their teeth cleaned.
A study of the periodontal conditions of adults conducted in 2007-2008 showed that 99.2% have gum problems, and 54.2% or about 9,700,000 of them have gum blisters, but only 23.1% of the people have regular dental checkups and cleaning.
A 10-year study led by Chang Yi-chao, director of the Oral Medicine Institute at Chungshan Medical University in Taiwan followed 9,000 periodontal patients, The study concluded that those with periodontitis have a 3- to 5-fold increase in the risk of cardiovascular diseases, a 70% increase in the risk of dementia, and a 5- to 7-fold increase in the risk of miscarriage. The 10-year study also showed that there were 115 periodontitis patients who suffered Alzheimer’s disease, an 70% increase in the risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease in later life.
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