TITLE:
Gingival Hyperplasia during Pregnancy: Frequency and Clinical Presentation in a Tertiary Level Hospital in Yaoundé-Cameroon
AUTHORS:
Christiane Jivir Fomu Nsahlai, Véronique Mboua Batoum, Azemafac Njifac Vianny, Nokam Abena Marie Elvire, Foumane Pascal
KEYWORDS:
Pregnancy, Gingival Hyperplasia, Yaoundé
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Vol.13 No.2,
February
13,
2023
ABSTRACT: Gingival
hyperplasia or gingival overgrowth, which is a common trait of gingival
disease, is characterized by an increase in the size of the gingiva. Gingival
hyperplasia according to past reports has numerous etiological factors one of
which is pregnancy due to increased hormone levels. Although pregnancy does not
directly cause gingival hyperplasia, it may catalyze local etiological factors. Objectives: To
determine the frequency and clinical aspects of gingival hyperplasia
during pregnancy. Methodology: We conducted a cross sectional
descriptive study from November 2021 to June 2022 at the Yaoundé
Gyneco-Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital. Data were collected using a
pretested questionnaire and clinical assessments done using dental consultation kits. Data were analyzed with the
International Business Machine Statistical Package for Social Sciences
(IBM SPSS) version 21.0 software. Results: We recruited 231 eligible
participants for our study. Of 231, 101 (43.7%) had gingival hyperplasia. Most
of our study population were between 20 - 40 years
old and gingival hyperplasia was most commonly found in the 3rd trimester (60.7%). We reported that 31.3% of our population had a plaque score
2 and only 7.8% had consulted a dentist during pregnancy. We also observed that
93.3% of our population manifested a mild/moderate form of the disease while
6.9% had a severe form. Our study showed that 72.3% and 27.3% had a localized
and generalized form of the disease, respectively. Conclusion: We
concluded that gingival hyperplasia is a common pathology in pregnant women. It
is most found in the third trimester. It presents more commonly as a localized
form, and degree of severity is mostly moderate.