Prevalence and Risk Factors for Gingival Recession and Abrasion in Periodontally Healthy and Diseased Cohort Referred to Dental Teaching Clinic in Baghdad: A Cross-Sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION

Gingival recession (GR) is the apical displacement of the gingival margin, while gingival abrasion (GA) is the pathologic wear of gingiva by a foreign substance/object. Both can result in exposure of the root surface and can be associated with sensitivity, caries and compromised aesthetics. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and risk factors for GR/GA among patients referred to the teaching dental clinic in Baghdad.

METHODS

Three hundred and seventy-two subjects diagnosed with periodontal health, gingivitis, and periodontitis were recruited. Self-reported demographic parameters including age, sex, smoking, systemic disease, occupation, education, income, brushing frequency and type of toothbrush were recorded. The number of sites with GR and their depth were also recorded. GA lesions were categorised as small (≤ 2 mm), moderate (2-5 mm), and large (> 5 mm).

RESULTS

The prevalence of GR was 42.1% with significantly greater defect depth in periodontitis cases compared to healthy individuals (3.4 ± 1.4 vs. 2.1 ± 0.9 mm, p < 0.003). The prevalence of GR was highest in lower premolar (22.2%) and maxillary canine (15.5%) sites. Large GA defects (> 5 mm) were most prevalent in periodontitis patients. Adjusted models indicated that hard-bristle toothbrush use (OR 3.19; 95% CI 1.38-7.38, p = 0.007), presence of periodontitis (OR 12.02; 95% CI 1.83-79.13, p = 0.01), and tooth type (OR 0.49; 95% CI 0.30-0.81, p = 0.005) were potential risk factors for GA and were also associated with increasing GR defect depth (R2 0.15, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

GR/GA is a common oral health problem and was independently associated with the use of hard-bristle toothbrushes, tooth type, and the presence of periodontitis. However, these results should be cautiously interpreted within the context of a single-centre referral setting.