RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study was to identify the periodontal status of Szczecin citizens using the Community Periodontal Index (CPI), and to compare the results with those from selected European and world countries using the World Health Organization (WHO) database. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A sample of 250 patients was randomly selected using two-stage stratified sampling among people living in Szczecin aged 35-44 years. Participants were examined using the WHO CPI score at the Department of Periodontology, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin. Scores were compared with findings from previous research carried out in Poland and other countries. RESULTS: That only 4.4% of respondents had a healthy periodontium (5.76% of women and only 2.7% of men). Bleeding gums after probing (17.99%) and the presence of calculus (20.14%) were more frequently reported in women. The largest percentage of respondents (44.8%) had periodontal pockets 3.5-5.5 mm deep, with more women (45.32%) than men (44.14%). In contrast, more men (25.23%) had deep periodontal pockets at least 6 mm deep, with only 10.79% in women. A survey conducted across Poland in 1987 showed 0.7% of people with a healthy periodontium which rose to 6.3% in 1995. Compared to studies available in the WHO database, the number of people with a healthy periodontium, i.e. CPI = 0 is lower than in Japan (18%) and Spain (15%), but higher than in the United Kingdom (4%) and China (0%). CONCLUSIONS: Findings from the study indicate an increasing percentage of people in Poland suffering from periodontal disease. This brings us closer to results obtained in developed countries around the world.