Prevalence of gingivitis in 6- to 11-year-old Croatian children.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of gingivitis in 6- to 11-year-old children in two urban settlements of Zagreb, Croatia. PARTICIPANTS: Total number of 1025 children was included in the study. The Gingival Bleeding Index was used to determine the condition of the gingiva on mesiobuccal and buccal surfaces of six selected teeth, totaling to 12 surfaces. RESULTS: Forty-three percent of the examined children had healthy gingival tissue, 12% showed bleeding from one surface, 6% from two, 5% from three, 17% from four, and 17% from five to eight surfaces. CONCLUSIONS: Gingivitis was prevalent, but slight to moderate. It is important to instruct and control schoolchildren in excellent oral hygiene in order to prevent gingivitis.