Journal of Disability and Oral Health

cover art

Cover Date:
December 2009
Print ISSN:
1470-8558
Vol:
10
Issue:
4

Frequency and distribution of gingival bleeding in a population of para-athletes competing at the III Para-Pan-American Games in Rio de Janeiro 2007

Aim: Prevalence of gingivitis is high in most populations and physical impairments may jeopardise oral hygiene skills, leading to gingival bleeding. This aimed to evaluate the frequency and distribution of gingival bleeding among para-athletes. Design: A cross-sectional randomised study. Invitations were sent to over 1,300 para-participants of the III Para-Pan-American Games. A modified version of the Eastman Interdental Bleeding Index (EIBI) was adopted to assess gingival inflammation (Modified EIBI). Individuals were separated according to their physical impairments: GI– visually-impaired, with 2 subgroups: GI-a- with late-acquired-visual-impairment and GI-c- with either congenital or early-acquired-visual-impairment; G-II- with impaired upper-limbs; with 1 subgroup: G-II-t- with bilateral impairment or absent limbs; G-III, with lower limbs disabilities. The frequency and distribution of interdental bleeding were calculated and compared between groups. Results: 121 individuals were examined, 95(78.51%) males, with mean age 32.6(sd±9.6). 29 individuals (23.97%) and 66 sites (3.03%) showed interdental bleeding. Frequencies were: G-I (8.12%+2.94); G-I-a (5.56%+2.45); G-I-c (10.7%+3.4); G-II (1.1%+0.4); G-II-t (0%); GIII (1.7%+0.7). Significant differences were found in G-I>G-III (p=0.0002); G-I-c>G-I-a (p=0.042). Males showed higher frequency of bleeding (3.6%±1.7) than females (0.8%+0.5%), p<0.01. Conclusions: Interdental bleeding is a common condition in this population with special needs and is influenced by different physical impairments. The EIBI is a valuable tool for screening large populations and can be easily used for assessing gingival health conditions among athletes with physical disabilities. The modified-EIBI is also a valuable tool for screening large populations at major sports events, and can be easily used to assess gingival health conditions among individuals with special needs.

Key words: Disabilities, gingival bleeding, para-Pan-American games, special needs

Article Price
£15.00
Institution Article Price
£
Page Start
163
Page End
168
Authors
P LS Evans, R A Andrade, F R Guedes, A M Guedes, J A Grangeiro, E MB Tinoco

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  1. Reviewers
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  1. Diary Dates 2010
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