Tooth lost and gingival recession as a risk factor of khat chewing in Yemen

الملخص EN

Background : there is a large controversy about the influence of khat chewing on the oral cavity and unclear information about effect of khat on the gingival recession.

The principle objectives of this study were to determine the incidence of teeth loss and gingival recession among khat chewers.

Methods : the study population consisted of 66 male patients, their ages ranged from (30-50) years, who attending diagnostic department in the colleges of dentistry, representing different dental treatments.

The parameters used in the assessment are the number of extracted permanent teeth and the level of gingiva margin on chewing and non-chewing side.

T-test was used to compare data recoded between chewing side and non-chewing side.

Results : Ninety six percent of khat chewers don’t use tooth brushing and only 4 % of chewers use tooth brushing.

The percentage of left and right chewers were 79 % and 21 % respectively.

The number of extracted tooth as a result of periodontal disease in this study was found to be higher in the chewing side (4 %) than in (1 %) non-chewing group.

Highly significant difference was found in the mean of gingival recession when comparing chewing side and non-chewing side the difference was highly significant when compare the gingival recession on buccal surfaces, with others three surfaces, where bucall surfaces have more recession than other surfaces.

Conclusion : khat chewing can cause gingival recession and teeth lost on chewing side among yemeni population.