Prevention Gap: Over 60% of Chinese Population Affected by Periodontal Disease, 18.8% of Employed Patients Miss Work Due to Periodontal Issues

Recently, the World Dental Federation (FDI) released the "Ten-Year Oral Health Observatory Data Report: Evidence, Impact, and the Road Ahead." The report shows that in the Chinese sample, 72.6% of adults have dental caries and 62.2% have periodontal disease, yet during the same period, over 82% of patients used fluoride toothpaste and 79% brushed their teeth at least twice daily. This contrast is succinctly captured in one sentence by the report itself: "Behavior is not the bottleneck."

In the realm of home care, Chinese patients' indicators are not low: fluoride toothpaste usage stands at 82%, and the proportion brushing at least twice daily reaches 79%. However, the total prevalence of periodontal disease in the same sample remains at 62.2%—gingivitis at 36.3%, shallow periodontal pockets (4-5mm) at 17.0%, deep periodontal pockets (>6mm) at 6.3%, tooth mobility at 2.6%, and only 37.8% with completely healthy gums. While behavioral indicators are already at relatively high levels, outcomes have not improved correspondingly, suggesting the crux likely lies in areas beyond home care coverage: professional periodontal cleaning and regular monitoring...

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