The global burden of periodontal disease: towards integration with chronic disease prevention and control

Periodontitis is a ubiquitous disease affecting over 50% of the world's adult population, and increases further with age . Severe periodontitis is the sixth most prevalent human disease, according to the 2010 global burden of diseases study, with a standardized prevalence of 11.2% and is a major cause of tooth loss.

It has a negative impact upon oral health quality of life, speech, nutrition, confidence, and overall well-being and is independently associated with several systemic chronic inflammatory diseases. Severe periodontitis, therefore, represents a significant public health concern.