Perception of gingival bleeding by Nigerians.

Two hundred and seventy-five (275) subjects were seen to assess their perception of gingival bleeding and relate it to their periodontal status, sex, and age. Only about a quarter of the subjects claimed to bleed from the gingivae during routine oral prophylaxis. Unfortunately, about the same number admitted to having gum disease, whereas during clinical oral examination it was discovered that all these subjects had gingival bleeding. Also this study showed that more of the subjects who claimed to bleed from the gums thought it was normal compared to those who claimed not to bleed from the gums. The conclusion from the study is that there is poor perception of gingival bleeding and little relevance is placed on its presence in the mouth. There is poor awareness of it as a sign of the presence of pathology of the tooth supporting structures (periodontium), which may be due to local or systemic body disorders. The medical community must, therefore, recognize this fact and educate their patients and the public at large.