OBJECTIVETo study the periodontal health status of Hui and Han adults in Ningxia Hui autonomous region, thus to provide scientific basis for the establishment of oral health care policies in this region.

METHODS2 628 adults in Ningxia Hui autonomous region were investigated in this study according to the criterion issued by World Health Organization on the basic methods of oral health investigation and China oral health third epidemiological survey protocol. The inspection item included gingival bleeding (bleeding on probing, BOP), dental calculus, probing depth (PD) and attachment loss (AL). SPSS 15.0 statistical software was applied to analyze the results.

RESULTS1) The positive rate of BOP sites, detection rate of calculus and PD were peaked in 36-45 and 46-59 years old, but in the > or = 60 age group rather lower. The prevalence of periodontitis and the percentage of AL > or = 4 mm sites were increased with the adults' age. 2) In addition to the percentage of AL > or = 4 mm sites, the differences of the other indicators between the genders were not statistically significant. 3) The positive rate of BOP sites, detection rate of calculus, PD, the prevalence of periodontitis and the percentage of AL > or = 4 mm sites were higher for the mountain areas than the plain areas. 4) Hui population's positive rate of BOP sites, detection rate of calculus, PD, the prevalence of periodontitis and the percentage of AL > or = 4 mm sites were significantly lower than the Han population in Ningxia.

CONCLUSIONThe periodontal health status of adults in Ningxia Hui autonomous region is associated with age, gender, nationality and region.