Gingival recession in patients with good oral hygiene-a retrospective analysis

Abstract

Gingival recession is a term for apical displacement of gingival margin below the cemento enamel junction. It is a common and undesirable condition which is usually common with increase in age. Gingival recession is a common finding in most general practice. It may be indicative of poor oral hygiene. The present study aims to evaluate the prevalence of gingival recession in patients with good oral hygiene. A retrospective study was done based on data analysed from 86000 patient records collected in a dental outpatient department, out of which 2843 patient records who had presented with good oral hygiene were reviewed. Presence or absence of gingival recession was recorded. Excel tabulation was done and then imported the data to SPSS version 20 for statistical analysis. Out of the 2843, people in the age group of 36-55 years had higher gingival recession and good oral hygiene compared to other age groups that is about 33%. 64% of sample size in the age group of 56-80 years showed gingival recession despite having good oral hygiene status. Within the limits of the study, good oral hygiene may not be linked with gingival recession, however habits such as improper tooth brushing technique may cause recession. 18.4% of the total study group showed good oral hygiene and gingival recession.