Prevalence of Gingivitis in Mothers and Plaque in Young Children

Objectives: Gingivitis can be a precursor to periodontitis. Plaque among children and adults can initiate gingivitis. Untreated gingivitis can lead to periodontitis in adulthood, which not only significantly affects oral health but is also strongly associated with systemic conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. This study examined the presence of plaque in young children and assessed the gingival health of mothers participating in the VicGen birth cohort study. Methods: This is a cross sectional analysis of 18 month old children (n=342) and their mothers/primary carers (n=408) who are enrolled in the VicGen birth cohort study, recruited from the western corridor of Victoria (metropolitan, regional and rural communities).Oral examination of children and their mothers was conducted by trained and calibrated oral health practitioners. This included visual inspection of plaque for children on buccal and lingual surfaces of each segment (55-54; 53-63; 64-65; 75-74; 73-83; 84-85) with plaque recorded as no visible plaque (0) and presence of visible plaque (1). Gingival sulcus bleeding for mothers on buccal and lingual surfaces of six teeth (16, 21, 24, 36, 41, 44) was recorded as absence of bleeding/healthy appearance (0) and presence of bleeding (1). Results: Overall 62% of mothers had gingival bleeding (38% of mothers had gingival bleeding in maxillary teeth; 54% in mandibular teeth), and 34% of the children had plaque on their teeth (27% of children had plaque on maxillary teeth; 20% on the mandibular teeth). Conclusion: The study findings demonstrate the presence of plaque among very young children, very early in life, indicating 34% of 18 month old children shared possible risk factors for gingivitis. Mothers in the study also had high prevalence of gingival bleeding. There is a clear need to foster preventive oral health practices for mothers and young children.