Prevalence and severity of gag reflex in patients presenting at the department of prosthodontics.

Abstract

Objective: To determine the prevalence and severity of gag reflex at initial appointment of patients visiting the department of Prosthodontics using the Gag Severity Index (GSI) tool proposed by Fiske and Dickinson. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Department of Prosthodontics, Islamabad Dental Hospital, Islamabad. Period: 1^st November, 2022 to 31^st April, 2023. Methods: All the patients who presented in outpatient (OPD) of Prosthodontics with 18 to 85 years of age were included in this study. All the data of age, gender, educational levels and gag severity grades were noted on a predesigned proforma. Percentages and frequencies were calculated for all the data by using SPSS version 22. Results: A total of 150 (55.14%) patients out of 272 who gagged, were included in the study, with 61 (40.66%) males and 89 (59.3%) females, the gag reflex being more prevalent in female patients. The patients’ age range was from 18 to 85 years. In terms of gag severity grades in 150 patients, grade I was observed in 60 patients (40.0%), grade II in 49 patients (32.7%), grade III in 30 patients (20.0%), grade IV in 10 patients (6.7%) and grade V in 1 patient (0.7%). 40.0% of grade I patients were from 18-40 years age group and 51.6% were from 61-85 years age group. 37.0% of grade II patients belong to 41-60 years of age. In terms of qualification, 40.6% exhibited hyper active gag reflex in patients with university level or above. Conclusion: Female patients exhibit a higher prevalence of gag reflex than male patients, with grade I being the most common. While a definitive solution is yet to be established, effective patient education and dentist diligence can lead to productive management and future treatment exploration.