PERIODONTAL STATUS AND TREATMENT NEEDS OF COMMUNITIES IN LAGOS, NIGERIA: A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Periodontal disease is an oral disease with a high prevalence in the world, especially in developing countries such as Nigeria.
AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of periodontal disease, the periodontal health status, and treatment needs of some communities in Lagos, Nigeria.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a descriptive study with cross-sectional design. A total of 500 participants were selected from four Communities in Lagos state. The sociodemographic data obtained included age, gender, educational status, and frequency of tooth brushing. The periodontal status and treatment need assessed with the Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN) and oral hygiene status was assessed using the Oral Hygiene Index simplified (OHI-S) Data was analyzed using SPSS while chi-squared test was used to compare categorical variables; significance was determined at p value less than 0.05.
RESULTS:The prevalence of periodontal disease was 85.2%. Calculus (code 2) was the most prevalent.The oral hy-giene status was good in 32.2%, fair in 49.8%, and poor in 18.0% of the respondents. The CPITN score of codel was found in 12.6%, code 2 in 62.4%, and code 4 in 2.2% of the sample. In total, 70.4% required oral hygiene instruction and oral prophylaxis, while 2.2% required complex periodontal treatment. The educational status, age and oral hy-giene status were significantly associated with the CPITN scores (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSION:The prevalence of periodontal disease was high in this study population. Gender, educational status and OHI-S score were statistically significant in association with CPITN. Most participants required oral hygiene instruction and oral prophylaxis. To prevent or minimize the progression of periodontal diseases, there is need to implement preventive programs that are beneficial to the society.