The prevalence and severity of periodontal disease were assessed in 2039, 15-16 year old Jordanian adolescents using the Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN). The findings revealed that around 37 per cent of the subjects had a healthy periodontium (score 0), whilst 40 per cent had bleeding on probing (score 1). Calculus deposits (score 2) were found in 17.4 per cent of the subjects. Both shallow and deep pockets (scores 3 and 4) were present in only a small percentage of the sample (5.32 per cent and 0.29 per cent, respectively). When the severity of the periodontal condition was assessed, it was found that bleeding on probing was present in 2.4 sextants per person and calculus deposits in 1.04 sextants per person. The sextants which were affected by shallow and deep pockets were minimal (0.32 and 0.02 sextant per person respectively). The mean number of healthy sextants per person was found to be 2.22. These findings indicate that gingival rather than periodontal disease is more common in Jordanian adolescents.