Abstract： Objective　To study the progression of destructive periodontal disease in adult and elderly aged 20 to 80. The examinees were followed 10 years to determine whether the rates for progression of periodontal disease were different than the populations in the more developed countries. Methods　In 1984, at baseline, 587 subjects had been examined and by 1994, 440 of them still available for follow-up study，and 398 persons remained dentate. Tooth mobility, plaque, calculus, gingival conditions, attachment levels, and probing depths on 4 sites of each tooth present were checked and recorded by the same two examiners. Results　All subjects had ≥2 mm attachment loss over 10-year period. Some teeth, such as mandibular incisors and maxillary molars, had higher progression rate than others. The mean attachment loss rate did not differ significantly between age groups, and were similar to those reported for populations in the more developed countries. Conclusions　The rate for progression of periodontal disease in this study were not singnificantly different between the examinees and the populations in more developed countries; and also were not significantly different among the different age groups. The causes of destructive periodontal disease in humans are more likely intrinsic factors.