OBJECTIVETo investigate the prevalence and risk indicator of nifedipine-induced gingival overgrowth in a community population in Beijing.

METHODSA cross-sectional survey was conducted in 616 community subjects with hypertension or coronary vascular disease in Beijing, China. Among them 205 individuals took nifedipine for at least half year and 411 individuals who had never received calcium channel blocker (CCB) were recruited as controls. Smoking, oral hygienic habit, systemic health, pharmacological and demographic data for each subject were recorded by questionnaire. Sulcus bleeding index (SBI) was assessed in 12 anterior teeth per subject. Turesky modified Quigley-Hein plaque index (PI) and gingival overgrowth index in anterior teeth were scored on photograph. 38.6% was defined as threshold to identify individual with significant gingival overgrowth.

RESULTS7.3% of the subjects taking nifedipine were found to have significant gingival overgrowth in this population. The prevalence of gingival overgrowth in nifedipine group was statistically higher than that in the control group. By logistic regression analysis, SBI was found to be the only risk indicator (odds ratio = 5.92, P = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONSThe presence of gingival inflammation was an important cofactor for the occurrence of gingival overgrowth.