Gingival Pigmentation in Relation to Dental Caries Among students in Diayala City/Iraq
Author(s): Noor J Mohammed* and Ban Sahib Diab
Abstract
Background: Gingival pigmentation is a discoloration of the gingiva due to a variety of lesions and conditions associated with several endogenous and exogenous etiologic features. Melanin, a non-hemoglobine derived brown pigment, is the most common of the endogenous pigments and is produced by melanocytes present in the basal and suprabasal cell layers of the epithelium,it may have indirect defensive role against dental caries.
Aims: This study was carried out to investigate the association of gingival pigmentation in relation to dental caries among students.
Results: The total mean value of dental caries (DMFs) were recorded to be significantly less among gingival pigmentation group (6.95 ± 0.92) than control group(7.93 ± 0.37).However the same result found concerning each component, Ds was higher in control group (7.54 ± 0.37) than study group (6.67 ± 0.92), also the missing surfaces due to caries were higher in control group (0.09 ± 0.18) than study group (0.08±0.03) in addition the filling surfaces due to caries were higher in control group (0.19 ± 0.06) than study group (0..18±0.05).
Conclusions: This study concluded that there is an obvious decrease all grads of dental caries including decayed, missing and filling due to caries among gingival pigmentation group.