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Background: Information on gingival health of Nigerian adolescents is scarce even when gingivitis characterized by the presence of gingival inflammation without detectable loss of bone or clinical attachment reaches high prevalence levels in adolescence. Aim: To determine the prevalence of gingival bleeding and gingivitis among 15-19 years schoolchildren in Minna, Niger State, Nigeria. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 15-19 years public school children in Minna, Niger State, Nigeria. Data collection was through questionnaire and clinical oral examination. Result: About one-third (39.8%) clean their teeth once-daily. More than half (56.4%) of the participants reported gingival bleeding. Among those who reported bleeding, 15% sought no care while 13.3% reported self-medication indulgence. Family size emerged as the sole predictor of self-reported gingival bleeding. A total of 30.9% of the participants had gingivitis assessed as bleeding on probing and mother' occupation emerged as its sole predictor. Conclusion: Data from this study revealed that gingival bleeding and gingivitis assessed by bleeding on probing whose predictors were family size and mothers occupation respectively, are prevalent among the school going older adolescents in Minna. Success-oriented prevention approach for periodontal diseases among adolescents in Minna should take the findings of this study into consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The objective was to determine the relationship between self-reported gingival bleeding, oral health perception, practices and concerns. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional survey among undergraduates of University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria was conducted between April and May, 2011 using a self-administered 21-item structured questionnaire. Data analysis was done using Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences and P<0.05 was considered significant. Results: Out of the 400 questionnaires that were distributed, 338 were returned filled giving a retrieval rate of 84.5%. About three-quarters (71.3%) of the respondents were younger than 22 years. Males constituted 65.1% while the remaining 34.9% were females. The prevalence of self-reported gingival bleeding among respondents in this study was 12.7%. Individuals with gingival bleeding were significantly more likely to rate their dental and gingival health as fair/poor, use strong brushing stroke during tooth brushing and report worsening condition of teeth despite daily tooth brushing, express worry about the gingival color and less likely to be satisfied about the appearance of their teeth and to have received professional instruction on tooth brushing. Conclusion: Data from this survey revealed an established relationship between gingival bleeding, perceived dental and gingival health, tooth brushing force, professional instruction on tooth brushing, perception of the condition of teeth in relation to daily tooth brushing, worry about the color of gingiva, and satisfaction with the appearance of the teeth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]