This observational cross-sectional study aims at determining the prevalence of gingival pigmentation among a sample of adult Egyptian patients attending the diagnostic centre at Faculty of Dentistry, Cairo University and identifying its association with other risk factors.
* Dental patients will be recruited in a consecutive manner from the diagnostic center, Faculty of Dentistry, Cairo University. * Medical history will be taken and patients with certain diseases as Addison's disease, Albright's syndrome, Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, and HIV-associated melanosis or under certain drugs as ACTH, Antimalarial drugs, and Chemotherapeutic agent-busulfan that induce gingival pigmentation will be excluded from the study. * Patients who met the inclusion criteria will be subjected to thorough oral examination and a full questionnaire will be filled for each patient. Before filling the questionnaire, the aim of the study will be explained to the patient and the patient's acceptance to participate in the survey will be received. * During examining patients, any patient found with suspicious gingival pigmentation, whether the degree of pigmentation, texture, size, or any clinical signs of malignancy, will be referred to the Oral Medicine department for a thorough oral and lymph nodes examination, and biopsy taking if needed. Also, any other suspicious oral lesion noticed will be treated the same way, and a close follow-up for the patient will be done to ensure that the he/she has gone through all possible examination protocols to exclude any possibility of malignancy or abnormal condition that needs intervention. * During oral examination of included patients, those will be found to have gingival pigmentation will be classified according to the gingival pigmentation index. * Non-respondent patients or patients refusing to participate will be reported with the cause of their refusal. * The Questionnaire will be filled through a face-to-face personal interview with the patient using simple, short, easily comprehended questions. * The Questionnaire will include a section for information about age, gender, occupation, place of birth and current residential area. * Detailed information about smoking type (cigarette, shisha, Vape, IQOS, or others), Smoking Frequency, Smoking duration (no. of years) will be gathered * The degree of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with gingival pigmentation, and the willingness to do a surgical or laser procedure to change it will be evaluated by VAS score. * Conventional oral examination will be held on a dental unit using the light of the unit.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
374
Cairo University
Cairo, Egypt
Prevalence of gingival pigmentation
Gingival Pigmentation Index which classified pigmentation into 4 scores according to the position and extent of the gingival pigments: * Score 0: Absence of pigmentation * Score 1: Spots of brown to black color or pigments. * Score 2: Brown to black patches but not diffuse pigmentation * Score 3: Diffuse brown to black pigmentation, marginal, and attached
Time frame: Up to 30 weeks
Age of the participant associated risk factors
Age in years
Time frame: Up to 30 weeks
Gender of the participant
Male or female
Time frame: Up to 30 weeks
Occupation of the participant
Certain occupations may be a possible risk factor
Time frame: Up to 30 weeks
Type of smoking
Cigarette, shisha, Vape, IQOS,… etc. certain types may be of variable risk factor
Time frame: Up to 30 weeks
Frequency of smoking
Number of Cigarettes/day, In case of other types: daily, weekly, twice weekly, monthly
Time frame: Up to 30 weeks
Duration of smoking
In years
Time frame: Up to 30 weeks
Place of birth
City of birth
Time frame: Up to 30 weeks
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Current area of residence
City of residence
Time frame: Up to 30 weeks