ETIOLOGY AND SEVERITY OF DIFFERENT GRADES OF GINGIVAL RECESSION IN ADULT POPULATION

Background: Gingival recession is the most common and undesirable condition of the gingiva and its prevalence increases with age. Materials and methods: The study was a cross-sectional study conducted on the patients of gingival recession who visited dental OPD. The pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire was utilized which included questions regarding oral hygiene habits (i.e. frequency of brushing, method of brushing, type of toothbrush used, age of toothbrush). Periodontal evaluation included Gingival score, Plaque score, Gingival recession, Clinical attachment loss and measurement of width of attached gingival. Results: Of 244 subjects 112 (45.9%) had Millers class I recession, 64 (26.2%) class II recession, 38 (15.6%) class III recession, 30 (12.3%) class IV recession. Statistical analysis revealed that the correlation between both toothbrush type and brushing method with gingival recession was significantly associated (p < 0.05). The correlation association between age, dental plaque, gingival inflammation, clinical attachment loss, width of attached gingiva and gingival recession was found to be statistically significant (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The most frequent affected teeth with gingival recession were the 1st and 2nd molars of maxilla followed by mandibular incisors. Horizontal brushing method, usage of medium type toothbrush and tooth brushing once daily were found to be more associated with gingival recession.