Periodontal Disease and Nutrition in South Vietnam

¹ National Institute of Dental Research, Bethesda, Maryland
² U. S. Army Medical Research and Nutrition Laboratory, Denver, Colorado
³ National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland

Over two thousand Vietnamese, aged through eighty-six years, were examined for PI, recession, and OHI-S, in the course of an ICNND survey. There was considerable village-by-village variation in periodontal condition of the people. Some mountain villagers showed the highest levels of disease seen up to that time by the examiners. There was a tendency for disease indicators to be higher in villages where the typical diet was relatively low in total calories, protein, carbohydrate, riboflavin, and iron; and relatively high in niacin and calcium. The principal relations established were between oral hygiene and age, and PI or recession scores. No strong association between any specific nutrient and disease could be demonstrated when the effects of age and hygiene were considered simultaneously. These findings are generally consistent with those of comparable studies in Alaska., Ethiopia, Ecuador, Malontana, Chile, and Ceylon.