Prevalence of self-reported gingival bleeding in a representative sample of the Brazilian adolescent population

Abstract

Aim: To estimate the prevalence of self-reported gingival bleeding in a representative sample of 12- to 17-year-old Brazilian adolescents.

Materials and methods: Sociodemographic and oral health information were obtained through a self-administered questionnaire of the Study of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Adolescents. The adolescents answered "yes" or "no" to the question "Do your gums bleed?"

Results: 74,589 of the 102,327 eligible adolescents answered the questionnaire and 18.4% (95% CI 17.5-19.3) reported having bleeding gums. The prevalence of self-reported gingival bleeding varied as following: 21.4% (95% CI 20.3-22.6) in girls and 15.3% (95% CI 14.3-16.4) in boys; 20.5% (95% CI 19.2-21.8) in older and 17.5% (95% CI 16.4-18.6) in younger adolescents; 20.6% (95% CI 18.5-22.9) in Black people and 17.1% (95% CI 16.1-18.1) in White people. Regarding mother's level of education, the prevalences were 18.1% (95% CI 16.2-20.3), 17.6% (95% CI 16.4-18.9) and 19.3% (95% CI 17.9-20.9) for high, middle and low levels, respectively. For socioeconomic status, the equivalent figures were 16.4% (95% CI 14.3-18.7), 18.4% (95% CI 17.5-19.4) and 23.0% (95% CI 17.3-29.9).

Conclusion: Nearly one in five Brazilian adolescents reported having gingival bleeding, which might not be a serious condition, but reflect the disease and the adolescents' perception of oral health status.

Keywords: adolescent; epidemiology; gingivitis; prevalence; self-report.