Prevalence Of Gingival Recession In Patients Undergoing Orthodontic Treatment in the Age Group Of 18 To 25 Years - A Retrospective Study

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease which is characterised by means of periodontal tissue damage due to an interaction between bacteria and the host immune system. The most important event in chronic periodontitis is the destruction of periodontal tissue which manifests as clinical loss of attachment of gingiva. Gingival recession is characterised by the apical migration of gingival margin from the cementoenamel junction. It can be localised or generalised and associated with at least one tooth surface. It leads to aesthetic problems and apart from periodontitis, it is often caused due to forces by orthodontic tooth movements or forces due to eccentric bite such as crossbite which occurs as a result of application of pressure and tension on alternate surfaces on the periodontal ligament and thus the bone thus causing bone remodelling. This study aims to assess the prevalence of gingival recession in patients undergoing orthodontic treatment in the age 18 to 25 years. A retrospective study was performed among patients visiting the department of Orthodontics in a private dental hospital who were undergoing orthodontic treatment and they were assessed by intraoral photographs taken to check for gingival recession. Results were collected, tabulated and Pearson Chi-square test done using SPSS by IBM to assess if there is a correlation in cases of orthodontic treatment between plaque accumulation and gingival recession and checked for gender prevalence. Out of 86,000 case records, 347 patients were chosen for the study who fulfilled the inclusion criteria, 50.3% were observed to have gingival recession (p>0.05, non significant), wherein majority were male patients and the gingival recession observed had no correlation with or was independent of plaque accumulation which was inferred by assessing their plaque index scores. 40.06% of the sample were observed with Miller's class I gingival recession, 0.6% reported with Miller's class II gingival recession.