Patients who had been consecutively treated at the Department of Periodontology, Chonbuk National University Hospital from October 1999 to August 2001 were assessed with radiographs taken at their molar regions. Of all molars investigated, 142 molars of 116 patients tipped mesially more than 10 degrees to the line perpendicular to an occlusal plane were selected for the study. The tipped molars were divided into 2 groups with a reference to a tipping degree, i.e., 66 slightly tipped(group 1 : <30°) and 76 severely tipped molars (group 2 : ≥30°). Probing depth(PD), plaque retention index(PRI) at mesial surfaces of tipped molars and tooth mobility(TM) were recorded at the clinical examination. Tipping degree(TD) and alveolar bony defect(ABD) at the mesial surface of the molars were measured in a radiograph.

The results showed that no statistical differences were found between groups in all measured variables. In Pearson correlation analysis performed in the same group, a positive relationship was shown between PRI and PD in the group 1 and, in the group 2, between PRI and PD as well as PRI and ABD(p < 0.01). However, no statistically significant relationship was found between TD and all other variables in both groups.

Within limitations of this study, it may be concluded that tipping degree did not seem to influence periodontal conditions, i.e., PD, ABD and TM of mesially tipped molars per se, but plaque presence/absence seemed to mainly affect the periodontal conditions of the tipped molars.