Determination of the Association between Tooth Wear, Oral Hygiene and Periodontal Status among Adult Patients in a Tertiary Hospital in Lagos: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Tooth wear and periodontal disease are common oral conditions that affect patients' quality of life. Both conditions are affected by oral hygiene practices. Objectives: To determine the relationship between tooth wear, oral hygiene, and periodontal status. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 179 adult patients aged 18-65 years who attended the Restorative and Periodontology clinics at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH). Data were obtained through an interviewer administered questionnaire and clinical oral examinations. Periodontal status was assessed using the Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN) and Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S), while tooth wear was measured using the Basic Erosive Wear Examination (BEWE) index. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (IBM SPSS) version 23.0. Categorical variables were presented using frequencies and percentages. Associations were assessed using chisquare or Fisher's exact tests, and group differences were analyzed using an independent t-test and one-way ANOVA. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: Based on CPITN, 30.2% of participants had healthy periodontal tissues (score 0), while 57.5% had no tooth wear (BEWE score 0). Periodontal health status was significantly different according to debris score (p=0.037), calculus score (p=0.027), and overall OHI-S score (p=0.013). Simplified Oral Hygiene Index was significantly associated with periodontal health (p<0.01). However, no statistically significant association was found between tooth wear severity and periodontal health (p=0.210) or oral hygiene status (p=0.065). Conclusion: Oral hygiene status was significantly associated with periodontal health, whereas tooth wear severity showed no statistically significant association with either periodontal status or oral hygiene status.