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.