Risk indicators for dental caries, and gingivitis among 6-11-year-old children in Nigeria: a household-based survey.

Background: There is little is known about the factors associated with caries experience and gingivitis among 6-11-year-old children in Nigeria. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and preventive oral health behaviors associated with caries and gingivitis among 6-11-year-old children in Nigeria.

Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was conducted in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. The dependent variables were caries and gingivitis. The dmft/DMFT index was used to assess dental caries experience (present or absent) and caries severity. The gingival index was used to assess the prevalence (present or absent) and severity of gingivitis (healthy gingiva/mild gingivitis versus moderate/severe gingivitis). The independent variables were preventive oral health behaviors (frequency of daily tooth brushing, frequency of consumption of refined carbohydrates in-between-meals, use of fluoridated toothpaste, and use of dental floss, history of dental service utilization). A series of logistic regression analysis models were constructed to determine the associations between the dependent and independent variables after adjusting for confounders (age, sex, and socioeconomic status).

Results: There were 69 (5.2%) children with caries. The mean (standard deviation) dmft was 0.08 (0.457) and the mean DMFT was 0.02 (0.159). There were 839 (63.3%) children with gingivitis with a mean (SD) gingival index score of 0.503 (0.453). Children who seldom or never used fluoride toothpaste had significantly higher odds of developing moderate to severe gingivitis (AOR; 1.671; 95% CI: 1.003-2.786; p = 0.049). Children with middle socio-economic status had significantly lower odds of developing moderate to severe gingivitis (AOR: 0.573; 95%CI: 0.330-0.994; p = 0.048). There were no risk indicators identified for caries.

Conclusion: The prevalence of dental caries was low while the prevalence of gingivitis was high in the study population. The daily used of fluoridated toothpaste seem to reduce the risk for moderate/severe gingivitis. Further studies are needed to understand these findings.