Twelve years of (A)NUG in Lilian Ngoyi Dental Clinic, Soweto

Although common in the 1950s and '60s, by the 1980s, (A)NUG had almost disappeared from Soweto dental clinics. By early 2001, the high number of reported cases seemed to herald the rapid return of 'trench mouth', most likely associated with the HIV/AIDS pandemic. It has been well-documented that (A)NUG is strongly associated with HIV infection (Rachanis, 2001; Yeung, 2000). Studies undertaken at MEDUNSA have shown around 70-75% of patients with (A)NUG to be HIV positive (Mhlongo et al, 2002; Shangase et al, 2004). OBJECTIVES: (a) To measure the prevalence of (A)NUG among patients attending the Lilian Ngoyi Oral Health Clinic between January 1992 and December 2003 and (b) to identify trends in that presentation. METHODS:An anonymous record review was designed to collect diagnoses of (A)NUG from patient registers at Lilian Ngoyi clinic. Ethical clearance was obtained in June 2002 and a pilot study was undertaken at Lilian Ngoyi, Soweto and at Hillbrow. RESULTS: Lilian Ngoyi - 1992 - patients seen: 2,431 - cases: 7 - prevalence: 0.0028. Lilian Ngoyi - 2001 - patients seen: 8,845 - cases: 260 - prevalence: 0.0293. Hillbrow - 2001 - patients seen: 11,840 - cases: 541 - prevalence: 0.0456 CONCLUSIONS:The prevalence of (A)NUG amongst patients attending the Lilian Ngoyi Oral Health Clinic has shown a very large increase in the 10 years measured. It is clear that the prevalence is even higher in Hillbrow than in Soweto. Prevalence figures for the full 12 years from 1992 to 2003 will be presented at the IADR in September 2004.