Gingival recession at the University College Hospital, Ibadan--prevalence and effect of some aetiological factors.

Four hundred and ninety-one consecutive patients comprising 259 (52.7%) males and 232 (47.3%) females who attended the periodontology clinic of the University College Hospital Dental Centre between May 1995 and May 1996, were recruited into this study. One hundred and thirty-seven patients comprising 101 males and 36 females were found to have gingival recession of at least one tooth surface representing 27.7%. The age range of the patients investigated was 16 years to 82 years; mean age was 39.2 +/- 14.4 for males and 34.1 +/- 14.4 for females. The peak incidence of gingival recession was in the 46-55 year age group. The incidence of gingival recession increases with advancing age with 0.04% in the 16-25 year age groups as compared to 58.5% in the 56-65 year age group. The aetiologic factors which appeared to be related to gingival recession were found in the following order of frequency: malalignment; chewing stick trauma; toothbrush trauma; calculus. Eighty-eight percent (88.8%) of malaligned teeth in the age range 66 years and above had recession. A higher percentage of the subjects who used chewing stick had recession (29.4%) when compared to those who used toothbrush alone (22%) P < 0.05--this is statistically significant. Of great concern is the prevalence of recession (58%) among those subjects who used toothbrush and chewing stick together, with majority of them having generalized gingival recession. The possible reasons for these different prevalence rates of recession are discussed, measures by which incidence of gingival recession can be reduced are briefly summarized.