Greater Incidence of Periodontitis Among Indigenous Population Compared to Non-Indigenous Population

A systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Journal of Periodontal Research indicated that compared to non-indigenous patient populations, the worldwide incidence of periodontal disease, including gingivitis and chronic periodontitis, is more significant for Indigenous patient populations. 

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, Dr Sonia Nath, Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, and colleagues sought to measure the global incidence of periodontal disease among Indigenous individuals versus non-Indigenous individuals by comparing the differences between the two patient populations.

Dr Nath and colleagues indicated that previous research has demonstrated that periodontitis (PD) incidence is considerably greater among indigenous individuals in several world regions.

The authors wrote, “The research question of our review is “what is the magnitude of the disparity in the prevalence of periodontal disease among Indigenous populations compared to non-Indigenous/general populations globally among observational studies?”

For this systematic review and meta-analysis, researchers conducted a systematic electronic search of data-based and grey literature sources from inception through February 2021. After the exclusion of articles based on eligibility criteria established by researchers, a total of 19 articles were included in this analysis from 1985 to 2021. The articles contained participants of all age groups, including pediatric patients.

Researchers indicated that the primary outcomes of their review included: the average incidence of PD based on various definitions of PD among Indigenous versus non-Indigenous individuals and the pooled incidence of PD based on the definition of PD.

The secondary outcomes were defined as the average number of sites affected by PD, the incidence of the gingival index, the average incidence of calculus, and bleeding on probing (BOP) or spontaneous bleeding.

The authors wrote, “ To our knowledge, this will be the first evidence to highlight the disparities in the occurrence of periodontal disease among Indigenous populations and the first to report a comparative synthesis of results. A preliminary search of MEDLINE, Scopus, and EBSCOhost identified published data that fits within the inclusion criteria for this review.”

Results indicated that when combining all studies, the incidence of PD was 35% greater among Indigenous populations compared to non-Indigenous populations. The overall incidence of an average number of sites involved with periodontitis, gingivitis, and calculus was somewhat greater among Indigenous populations than non-Indigenous populations.

Multiple studies indicated that Indigenous populations had more missing teeth, untreated dental caries, and more severe PD when compared to non-Indigenous populations.

Based on their findings, researchers concluded that compared to the non-Indigenous population, the rate of periodontitis is greater among Indigenous populations.

The authors also indicated that healthcare providers must recognize that the current treatment measures employed for other patient populations may need to be more culturally adequate for those across the Indigenous population. 

“To decrease oral health inequalities, more emphasis should be given to oral health promotion and specific culturally safe interventions working in partnerships with Indigenous populations.”, concluded the authors.

Reference

Nath S, Poirier B, Ju X, Kapellas K, Haag D, Jamieson L. Prevalence of periodontal disease among Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations: protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis. Syst Rev. 2022 Mar 12;11(1):43. doi: 10.1186/s13643-022-01913-8