Assessment of gingival health among school children in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

Abstract

Objectives:The present study evaluated the gingival condition among school going children in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates and determined its relationship with tooth brushing frequency, diet and dental caries.Materials and Methods:Four hundred and five children participated in the study. There were 232 boys (57%) and 173 (43%) girls. Children were grouped based on age as ≤6 years (n = 84) mean age 4.72 ± 0.50 and >6 years (n = 321) mean age 8.47 ± 1.65. The amount of dental plaque and gingival condition were assessed on the inner and outer surface of six index teeth using Silness and Loe and Loe and Silness criteria. Dental caries status was assessed using WHO 1997 criteria. Dental examination, tooth brushing frequency and 24 h diet chart were recorded by calibrated dentists. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the predictors of gingivitis.Results:Increase in decayed, missing, and filled teeth values corresponds to increase in plaque index and gingival index scores (P ≤ 0.05). A logistic regression analysis of the predictors of gingivitis showed that males were 2.11 times less likely to have gingivitis compared with females (odds ratio [OR]: 0.47,95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.24-0.93, P = 0.03) and children aged ≤6 years were 3.06 times less likely to have gingivitis than those aged >6 years (OR: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.17-0.62, P = 0.00). Tooth brushing frequency and diet were not significant predictors.Conclusion:Current study clearly demonstrated that female gender and children more than 6 years were more likely to have gingivitis.

The relationship between oral hygiene level and gingivitis in children

“…The statistical analysis of our own results did not reveal any correlation between gender and bleeding, although the research done by Gopinath et al showed that males were 2.11 times more likely to develop gingivitis than females. 22 However, in our study, a correlation was found between the amount of bacterial plaque and the likelihood of bleeding, which confirms a relationship of gingivitis etiology and the oral hygiene status. In children with poor oral hygiene, the likelihood of bleeding on probing was 4 times higher than in children with fair oral hygiene.…”

Digit Sucking, Age, Sex, and Socioeconomic Status as Determinants of Oral Hygiene Status and Gingival Health of Children in Suburban Nigeria

“…Age‐associated differences in OHS and gingival health are in congruence with prior observations 34 . Ramberg et al 33 clearly demonstrated reduced risk to gingivitis in children with primary dentition compared with children with mixed dentition.…”

“…GI scores for the study population were lower than those reported by Gopinath et al 34 for children in the United Arab Emirates, whereas scores for children aged 1 to 5 years are comparable with those reported for children in Yemen 35 . Unfortunately, differences in GI scores of children with a digit‐sucking habit cannot be discussed, since no such data in the public domain could be identified.…”

The Relation Between Parent’s Role and Children’s Brushing Techniques Toward Gingivitis Incident on Children from Selected Primary School in Cimahi

“…Gingivitis that occurs in children is not a serious condition as adults, due to the differences in the quantity and quality of bacterial plaque (Karim et al 2013). Total accumulation of plaque in children varies according to the frequency of brushing their teeth (Gopinath et al 2015).…”