Reconnoitering the Association of Gingival Melanin Pigmentation With Skin Color, Age, and Sex in Pre-School Children of Hazaribag: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction The purpose of this study was to compare and evaluate the association of gingival melanin pigmentation with age, sex, and skin tone in pre-school children of Hazaribag, Jharkhand, India. Materials and methods The study included 310 children aged 3 to 6 years, who were divided according to skin color into the following: group I: Fair, group II: wheatish, group III: brown; and group IV: dark. The children were selected using a census method where all participants fulfilling inclusion criteria were selected from the outpatient department of the Department of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry, Hazaribag College of Dental Sciences and Hospital, Hazaribag. The subjects were further grouped into different age groups of 3-4 years, 4-5 years, 5-6 years, and 6 years. Subjects were examined in natural daylight, and gingival melanin pigmentation was assessed using the Dummett-Gupta Pigmentation Index. The scoring was done for each arch segment. These categorical data were analyzed using the chi-square test. Results Gingival pigmentation was found to increase with increasing age, whereas female subjects showed less pigmentation than males. Majority of the children had wheatish complexion, and a significant positive correlation was found between skin tone and gingival pigmentation; the darker the skin tone, the darker was the gingival pigmentation. Anatomically, greater pigmentation was found in the anterior than posterior region of arches. Greater pigmentation was found in the labial than lingual region; greater pigmentation was also reported in the mandible than maxilla. Conclusion There was a positive correlation of gingival melanin pigmentation with age, sex, and skin tone in pre-school children. Clinical significance The association of gingival pigmentation with skin color had been documented, but very few studies have been published on adults and children on this subject. However, there is no study that evaluates the association of gingival melanin pigmentation with age, sex, and skin tone of children of pre-school age.