Hepatitis B serum markers and oral health in a group of Norwegian male prisoners

In 138 male Norwegian prisoners the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) serum markers was 30.4% and closely related to their drug abuse. The highest frequency of the markers (82.8%) was found in young drug addicts admitting intravenous abuse and the lowest (14.3%) in prisoners denying such abuse. For comparison, the frequency of HBV serum markers in the general male population in Norway is about 4.1%. In young prisoners ( 4mm were on an average 18.8, 38.2%, and 7.0%, respectively. The corresponding figures in the older age group (>30years) were 21.7, 38.5%, and 15.2%. These findings indicate a dental health status somewhere between that of the general population and disadvantaged groups in Norway previously surveyed. Other oral pathological conditions were present in more than one third of the prisoners, but mucosal lesions and disorders of psychosomatic origin did not extend normal ranges. No characteristic l...