Oral Hygiene, Calculus and Gingival Recessions in Young Women, Tanzania

Objective: To determine the association between oral hygiene status and gingival recessions. Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted among women aged 14-44 years at Muhimbili National Hospital, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. A total of 446 women were interviewed on oral hygiene practices and a full mouth examination in the six sites per tooth done for the presence of plaque, calculus, gingival bleeding and gingival recessions using periodontal probe and a mouth mirror. Results: Tooth brushing was practiced by 98.8% of the participants, using plastic toothbrush (98.0%), chewing stick (0.7%), both types (1.1%) at a frequency of 1-5 times /day mostly before breakfast (99.6%) and less before going to bed (39%), using horizontal (73.3%) and horizontal-circular (24.7%) tooth brushing methods with toothpaste (93.7%) and charcoal/ash (0.7%). For inter-dental cleaning, tooth-picks (99.4%) and dental-floss (0.6%) were used and 5.8% had no habit of brushing the tongue. The occurrence of plaque and gingival bleeding was 100%, calculus (99.3%), gingival recessions (GR)1+ mm (38.3%) and self-perceived bad oral mouth breath (17.5%). Compared to the non-GR group, participants with GR had higher mean number of tooth sites with plaque, calculus and gingival bleeding (p< 0.001). Gingival recessions were associated with plaque (Odds ratio (OR) =2.5, gingival bleeding (OR = 6.0) and calculus (OR = 5.5, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The study participants had poor oral hygiene despite the wide practice and frequency of tooth brushing; most brushed before breakfast and the occurrence of gingival recessions were more associated with calculus and gingival inflammation than the tooth cleaning practices. There is need to promote effective oral hygiene practices in women for the maintenance of good oral health. The study was funded by the Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences (MUCHS) of the University of Dar es Salaam.