Root surface caries occurence; oral hygiene status and habits in a selected suburban population; Ile-Ife; Nigeria

ABSTRACT

Objectives: The study evaluated root surface caries (RS C) occurrence in relation to oral hygiene status and habits in a suburban Nigerian Population. Methods: Seven hundred and twenty consecutive subjects; aged 20 years and above of both genders; attending the General Outpatient Department (GOPD) of Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC); Ile-Ife; Nigeria; were recruited. RSC was scored with Banting's diagnostic convention and Oral Hygiene Status (OHS) with Oral Hygiene Index - Simplified (OHI-S). Results: RSC prevalence figure was 11.6. While the association between RSC and OHS was significant (P 0.05) that between RSC and Oral Hygiene Habit (OHH) was not proven (p 0.05). RSC occurrence increased with advancing age. Frequency of tooth cleaning was not significantly associated with RSC occurrence; and being male or female had no significant effect on RSC occurrence. Conclusion: Within the limitations of the study; though RSC does not seem to be a serious public health problem in the studied population; Oral Health Education campaign should be adopted for preventive and early care