Assessment of Various Oral Hygiene Practices Leading to Gingival Recession

OBJECTIVE: To determine association between gingival recession and various oral hygiene practices. METHODOLOGY: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Rawal Dental College, Rawal Institute of Health Sciences Islamabad, from June 2022 to August 2022. The data were collected from 169 periodontally healthy patients aged between 18 years to 50 years with the help of a questionnaire. Pre-defined structured questionnaire was modified. Questionnaire included demographic details, oral hygiene maintenance practices and history of use of prosthesis and orthodontic treatment. After interviewing every patient, periodontal examination was carried out on the dental chair using William's probe to check the gingival recession. Data was recorded and evaluated using SPSS version 26.0. RESULTS: Out of 169 subjects examined, the frequency of gingival recession was higher in females (56%) as compared to males (43%). The molars and premolars were the teeth most frequently affected as compared to anteriors. Use of horizontal tooth brushing method (48.5%), medium type of toothbrush (55.6%) and brushing once daily (46.2%) for 2 minutes showed the most common causative factors for the gingival recession. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study clearly showed that the cause of gingival recession is multiple, and its manifestation is always the result of more than one factor operating together. The use of medium type of toothbrush, cleaning teeth once a day, and horizontal brushing technique were found to be most closely related to gingival recession. KEYWORDS: Gingival recession, oral hygiene, tooth brushing, Cementoenamel junction