Prevalence and Perception of Gingival Recession and Associated Factors among Sample of Egyptian Dental Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Mustafa, Dina; Ezzat, Ola Mohammed; Sarhan, Suzan

doi:10.21608/asdj.2024.295939.1313

Prevalence and Perception of Gingival Recession and Associated Factors among Sample of Egyptian Dental Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Document Type : Original articles

Authors

¹ Department of Periodontology and Oral Diagnosis , Faculty of Dentistry, Ain Shams University

² Department of Oral Medicine, Periodontology, Oral Diagnosis, Radiology, Faculty of Dentistry, Ain Shams University.

³ Department of Oral Medicine, Periodontology and Oral Diagnosis Faculty of Dentistry, Ain Shams University

10.21608/asdj.2024.295939.1313

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and perception of gingival recession (GR) among a sample of Egyptian dental students, identify the possible associated and predisposing factors of recession, and assess the extent and distribution of GR in that sample.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 312 dental students from different Egyptian dental schools surveyed using an online questionnaire to assess their perception of GR and its possible risk factors. Sixty other Egyptian dental students were professionally examined at the Faculty of Dentistry Ain Shams University to evaluate the recession's prevalence, extent, and distribution.
Results: The percentage of surveyed dental students who perceived GR was 21.15%, mostly mild cases. While, clinical evaluation documented that 46.67% of dental students had a mild recession, mainly localized in lower teeth and of Type 1 (RT1). Factors like plaque/calculus, brushing habits, orthodontic appliance use, and smoking were associated with recession. Aesthetic concerns and pain were reported; females were more likely to perceive recession as an aesthetic issue and experienced pain, often linked to a thin gingival phenotype. Age did not significantly impact the prevalence or perception of recession. A family history of periodontal diseases was linked to GR in multiple sites.
Conclusion: The prevalence of GR in the clinically evaluated sample of dental students was higher than the perceived prevalence in surveyed samples indicating a high prevalence of GR among this cohort of dental students despite their low perception. GR was mostly associated with smoking, plaque, and calculus.

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