| Sumario: | The relationship between gingival disease in adolescents and pubertal stages is not clear. The aim of this study is evaluate whether there is a relationship between the prevalence of gingival disease in adolescents and the different stages of pubertal development as well as nutritional status. The study group was comprised of 158 adolescents ages 10 - 19 years. Measures of pubertal stages were based on physical examinations. The World Health Organization (WHO) community periodontal index of treatment needs - (CPITN) was used to assess levels of periodontal condition and treatment needs. The Body Mass Index was assessed by nutritionists from our Division and then the subjects were classified according to nutritional status by the WHO classification. According to CPITN scores, 17.72% of the adolescents scored 0 (healthy), 48.73% of the adolescents scored 1 (bleeding after probing) and 33.55% scored 2 (presence of calculus). There was no statistically significant difference among Tanner stages in relation to CPITN scores (p=0.130). Although there is biological plausibility to the occurrence of these associations, there is a lack of epidemiological data to support them. The clarification of this issue is important in the clinical practice of pediatric dentists.
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