Prevalence of Plaque Induced Gingivitis Among Dental Students in College of Dentistry, Hawler Medical University.

Abstract

Background and objective: Gingival inflammation in response to bacterial plaque accumulation is considered the key risk factor for the onset of periodontitis. Dental students should present to patients as good role models in their oral health behavior. The study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of plaque-induced gingivitis among dental students in Hawler Medical University, College of Dentistry. Method: The study enrolled 120 (65 male, 55 female) dental students from different years of study including both clinical and preclinical years. Intra-oral clinical parameters including (plaque index, gingival index, and bleeding on probing) were recorded to evaluate the students’ periodontal health status. Result: The participants showed that the majority of students had fair plaque scores, and significant differences in clinical periodontal parameters between different years of study (P ˂ 0.05). Significant differences were found in regard to bleeding on probing between males and females. All cases of severe gingivitis recorded were males which counted 5.8%, of total cases. Conclusion: Preclinical dental students exhibited slightly higher (plaque index, gingival index, bleeding on probing) mean scores than clinical students, and more than half of the participants presented with gingivitis, regardless of its severity. Keywords: Plaque index, gingival index, bleeding on probing, oral health.