A Study on the Knowledge of Causes and Prevalance of Pigmentation of Gingiva among Dental Students

The deposition of colouring matter, coloration or discolouration by a pigment pertaining to the gingiva is called gingival pigmentation. The development of pigmentation is regulated by the individual's genetic make-up. The normal physiological colour of gingiva is coral or salmon pink with physiological variations of melanin pigmentation. Melanin is a non-hemoglobin derived brown pigment produced by melanocytes. In this study, we will be studying the prevalence and causes of pigmentation of gingiva.

Fifty dental undergraduate and postgraduate students from Saveetha Dental College were included in a questionnaire based study that assessed their knowledge and practice on gingival pigmentation and their answers were evaluated.

Among fifty subjects, only 8.16% hadn't come across a patient with gingival pigmentation due to pathological factors these were mostly third year students. A good value of 91.84% experienced a patient with gingival pigmentation due to pathological factors with a SD ±0.27 and most of them particularly the senior students had good knowledge about gingival pigmentation. The most reported cause for gingival pigmentation was the consumption of tobacco, 24.49% then an 18.37% due to amalgam tattoo, followed by smoking and usage of anti-malarials with a 14.29%.

The senior most class, the interns were more knowledgeable about the prevalence and causes of gingival pigmentation. The subjects included in this study were over-all educated about the causes and the concept of gingival pigmentation.