Prevalence and distribution of gingival recession and root caries in a group of dental patients in Ramadi city, Iraq

Abstract EN

Background: With respect to increase in the rate of gingival recession in the adults and elderly people which is considered as a risk factor for root caries, the prevalence and attack rate of root caries may differ This study determine the prevalence of both alterations among a group under study.

Subjects and methods : three hundred and thirty six subjects ranging in age from 20–49 years divided into three age groups of both genders (176 males and 160 females).

Four surfaces were examined in each tooth.

Gingival recession was regarded as present whenever more than 1mm of root surface was exposed and its vertical width was measured in millimeters from the cemento-enamal junction to the gingival margin in addition to the presence of caries on the exposed surface.

Results : gingival recession was observed in 52.4 % of the total sample (52.8 % in males and 51.9 % in females) and at least in one dental surface in the affected teeth.

The prevalence was found to increase with increasing age.

First molar teeth exhibit more surfaces with gingival recession.

The average value was (21.6 %).

18 .5 % of the sample have root caries.

It increases as age and recession increase, it affects males (19.3 %) more than females (17.

5 %) and first molar teeth (32.3) was mostly affected.

Conclusion : the high prevalence of gingival recession and root caries demonstrate attention must be provided by dentist and people themselves, preventive measures must be conducted among population to control their increase.