Trishala A, Arthi Balasubramaniam. Association between Gender and Gingivitis among Adults - A Retrospective Study. Int J Dentistry Oral Sci. 2019;S8:02:001:1-5. 1 Special Issue on: Research in Periodontology. OPEN ACCESS https://scidoc.org/IJDOS.php Association between Gender and Gingivitis among Adults - A Retrospective Study Research Article Trishala A 1 , Arthi Balasubramaniam 2* 1 Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, India. 2 Senior Lecturer, Department of Public Health Dentistry, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sci- ences, Saveetha University, Chennai, India. International Journal of Dentistry and Oral Science (IJDOS) ISSN: 2377-8075 *Corresponding Author: Arthi Balasubramaniam, Senior Lecturer, Department of Public Health Dentistry, Saveetha Dental College, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, 162, PH Road, Chennai 600077, Tamil Nadu, India. Tel: 919894977838 E-mail: arthib.sdc@saveetha.com Received: October 30, 2019 Accepted: November 28, 2019 Published: November 30, 2019 Citation: Trishala A, Arthi Balasubramaniam. Association between Gender and Gingivitis among Adults - A Retrospective Study. Int J Dentistry Oral Sci. 2019;S8:02:001:1-5. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.19070/2377-8075-SI02-08001 Copyright: Paramasivam A © 2019. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distri- bution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Introduction The health of the oral cavity can have wide reaching effects on overall health [1, 2]. Poor oral health may occur concomitantly with a more serious underlying disease process or may predis- pose an individual to other health conditions [3, 4]. Protecting oral health is therefore critical in maintaining overall health [5, 6]. Periodontium refers to the supporting structures around the tooth - namely gingiva, cementum, periodontal ligament and alveolar bone [7]. Gingivitis is the infammation of gums most commonly caused due to plaque accumulation [8]. The signs and symptoms include pain, swelling, bleeding on brushing and bleed- ing on probing etc. If left untreated it can lead to periodontitis and ultimately loss of teeth [9]. Oral health behaviors such as frequency of tooth brushing, use of dental foss, and frequency of dental visits are associated with various factors, including knowledge, attitude, lifestyle, stress, ed- ucation level, and socioeconomic status [10, 11]. Of these six fac- tors, knowledge, attitude, and lifestyle have been related to gender differences [12, 13]. Understanding how gender differences in oral health behaviors affect gingival condition may enable eff- cient prevention of periodontitis through improved therapeutic approaches against gingivitis [14-16]. Sexual dimorphisms exist in the prevalence and severity of many human conditions and diseases [17]. Gender is known to be a modifer of the initiation & outcome of many conditions [18]. There are many oral lesions where gender plays an important role in the disease severity. Oral stomatitis, denture related hyperplasia and angular cheilitis were associated signifcantly with men than women [19]. The prevalence of HIV related oral lesions, especial- ly oral candidiasis was higher in women when compared to men Abstract Gingivitis is the infammation of gums most commonly caused due to plaque accumulation. It predisposes to periodontitis, which can have a negative effect on oral and overall health. Understanding how gender differences in oral health behaviours affect gin- gival condition may enable effcient prevention of periodontitis through improved therapeutic approaches against gingivitis.The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between gender and gingivitis among adults. A retrospective study was conducted using the patient records of University hospital from June 2019 - April 2020. The study population included adults with recorded gingival index scores. Consecutive case sheets with recorded gingival index scores irrespective of age was retrieved and analysed. Data was collected and then subjected to statistical analysis. Descriptive and inferential statistical tests were employed with a level of signifcance set at p<0.05. The mean age among the patients with gingivitis was 35.55 ± 11.88 years. About 60.5% of the popu- lation were males and 39.45% were females. About 3.30% of males and 1.71% of females had severe gingivitis. Though there was a higher prevalence of gingivitis among males, there was no statistically signifcant association between gender and gingivitis (p = 0.551). There was a positive weak correlation between age and gingival index. Elderly males have high gingival index scores with no association between gender and gingivitis.. Keywords: Adults; Gingivitis; Gender; Oral health.