Periodontal Status of Patients with Mandibular Anterior Crowding

Abstract

Objective: To determine the periodontal status among patients with mandibular anterior crowding and to determine the severity of periodontal diseases among patients with different severity of crowding.

Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted among patients aged 18 and 40 years attending the Periodontology clinic of University of Benin Teaching Hospital with mandibular anterior crowding between April and July 2018. The controls group, without mandibular anterior crowding, were also selected. Malocclusion was assessed using Occlusion Feature Index by Poulton and Aaronson (1961), with a modification, while gingival status and oral hygiene was assessed with Sulcular Bleeding Index by Muhlemann and Son (1971) and Plaque Index by Loe and Silness (1964).

Results: A total of 36 patients with mandibular anterior crowding and 36 patients without crowding participated in this study. Three-quarter 27 (75.0%) of patients with crowding had poor oral hygiene and about half 19 (52.8%) of those without crowding had poor oral hygiene. Mean sulcular bleeding score and mean plaque score were significantly higher in participants with crowding than those without crowding. There was statistically insignificant increase in mean plaque score and mean sulcular bleeding score with corresponding increase in pattern of crowding.

Conclusion: Mandibular anterior crowding was associated with poorer oral hygiene assessed with plaque index and worse gingival status assessed with sulcular bleeding index. Severe crowding was seen to lead to poorer oral hygiene and higher periodontal diseases. Optimizing periodontal health will be a ranked reason for orthodontic correction of mandibular anterior crowding