Background:Gingival changes during pregnancy have been well-documented. The prevalence of gingivitis in pregnant women has reportedly ranged from 30% to 100%. Increase in both the rate of estrogen metabolism and synthesis of prostaglandins by the gingiva contributed to the gingival changes observed during pregnancy. In effect increased prevalence of dental caries, gingivitis, periodontitis and tooth mobility may be encountered in pregnancy.Aim:The purpose of the study was to determine the association of some variables and the periodontal status in a sample of pregnant women attending the Ante Natal Clinic (ANC) of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, Lagos.Subjects and Methods:Women at various stages of pregnancy, attending the ANC of LASUTH, constituted the target population. The questionnaire was administered on each patient followed by dental examinations. Periodontal status was assessed using the community periodontal index (CPI) of treatment needs. Oral hygiene status was evaluated according to Green and Vermilion simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S).Results:The association between the CPI scores; OHI-S scores and variables such as trimester and dental visits were statistically significant.Conclusion:This study indicated that the gestational age of pregnancy and dental visits have a definite impact on the periodontal status. Oral health education should be included as an integral part of antenatal care to increase the women awareness. This would improve the mothers’ dental care-seeking behavior.

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Study background: This research is to assess the number of missing teeth and to examine the relationship between age and tooth-loss in diabetic patients. Methods:The study consisted of 201 diabetic patients and an equal number of non-diabetic patients as control. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed which contained close-ended questions and this was followed by an oral examination of each patient; number of missing teeth were recorded in a data collecting sheet. Data was evaluated using SPSS 20 version. Results:Respondents were within age-group 30-73years for diabetics and 32-68years for non-diabetics. The mean number of missing teeth in diabetics was 5.22 ± 0.73 while non-diabetics had 3.17 ± 0.53 which was statistically significant when p-value was ≤ 0.005. Diabetic patients, within the age-group of 35-44 had 3.21 mean missing teeth and those within the age-group of 64-75 years had 7.31 mean missing teeth. Conclusion:The mean number of missing teeth in the diabetic patient and the control increased gradually as patients grew older but tooth loss was more pronounced in the diabetics. The result here agrees with results in other parts of Nigeria and worldwide. Within the limitations of this study, tooth loss is more in diabetic patients than nondiabetics and increases more in diabetics as both groups grow older.

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Aims: The aim was to investigate the association between lifestyle factors (food intake, sugary snacks consumption and oral health practices) and gingival bleeding during pregnancy. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the maternity clinics of three general hospitals in Lagos, Nigeria. It included 216 Nigerian pregnant women selected using a convenience sample. Information was collected concerning participants' background, oral hygiene practices, dental visits, dietary habits and knowledge of nutrition during pregnancy using questionnaires. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 20. Results: The results showed that the frequency of self-reported gingivitis amongst pregnant females was 27.1%. The nutritional knowledge of the pregnant women was good (88.6%). The relationship between nutritional knowledge, education and dietary habits showed a statistically significant association (P > 0.05). There was no significant effect of the sociodemographic status on the self-reported gingival health of the pregnant females observed in this study. Conclusions: Pregnant mothers in this study have satisfactory knowledge on adequate nutrition in pregnancy. With regard to nutritional status, the result suggests that pregnant women practiced good nutrition such as consuming foods, across and within the various food groups. In this study, oral hygiene practice and food intake during pregnancy were not associated with self-reported gingival bleeding. Our findings buttress the importance of optimal nutrition during pregnancy.