Aggressive periodontitis: experience in a Nigerian teaching hospital

Objective: Aggressive periodontitis is a disease entity that can be classified as Stages III & IV and Grade C chronic periodontitis based on the 2017 classification of the American Association of Periodontology for periodontal diseases. It is a class of chronic periodontal disease that features clinically severe periodontal tissue destruction. The diagnosis of aggressive periodontitis in this environment is delayed because of some influencing factors such as lack of dental awareness, patients' poor attitude towards this disease entity and their low socio-economic status. The objective of this case series is to highlight the factors that influence the time of presentation and severity of periodontal tissue destruction of Stages III & IV and Grade C chronic periodontitis (aggressive periodontitis) in this environment. Cases Description: We present the summary of the history, clinical features and radiological findings of four (4) cases of early and delayed presentation of aggressive periodontitis patients aged 19-27 years and factors that influenced their time of presentation. Severe periodontal tissue destruction was a common feature in these four cases with eventual tooth/teeth loss in delayed presenters. They were all treated using standard periodontal debridement with normal saline and 0.2%chlorhexidine gluconate, scaling, root planning and systemic antibiotics therapy. The patients provided informed consents, ethical approval was obtained from the institutional ethical committee and the study was conducted in accordance with the Helsinki declaration of 1975 as revised in 2000.Results: The factors that influenced the time of presentation included dental awareness through dental education, missing and mobile teeth, fear of further loss of teeth in the future, replacement of missing teeth, social marginalization, believe in some traditional 'taboos' and socio-economic status. Conclusion: There is a need for aggressive dental education/enlightenment of the people in this environment especially on periodontal disease. Clinical Significance: Dental awareness through dental education generally influenced time of presentation which prevents severe destruction of the periodontium

Periodontal status and treatment need among adolescents in ibadan, southwestern Nigeria

A previous Nigerian study had reported high incidence of periodontal disease in young Nigerians though global studies show the contrary. Aim: To determine the periodontal status and treatment needs of adolescents attending private and public secondary schools in Ibadan, south-western Nigeria. Methods: One thousand, five hundred and twenty two secondary school children in Ibadan were assessed. Sociodemographic data was obtained using a data extraction form. Intraoral examination was performed on all participants. Oral cleanliness was assessed using the plaque index of Silness and Loe, while periodontal health status and treatment needs were assessed using the Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN). Data were analyzed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: Only eight participants (0.5%) had healthy component of periodontal status. The mean plaque index was 1.12±0.41. The CPITN scores varied significantly with the gender of participants (p<0.001). Number of sextants affected by periodontal diseases varied significantly with the socioeconomic status (p=0.02). Conclusions: Gingival ill-health is prevalent among adolescent Nigerians with a great need for oral hygiene instructions and professional cleaning. There is need for oral health education among this sub-population of Nigerian children and provision of mobile dental clinics to help meet their treatment needs.