Oral Hygiene Status of Patients with Tonsillitis and Tonsilar Hyperplasia in a Teaching Hospital

Background: The number of recurrent tonsillitis and tonsillar hyperplasia requiring tonsillectomies annually is huge. Poor oral hygiene has been linked with the occurrence of these tonsillar diseases. The main objective of the present study is to determine the oral hygiene status of patients treated for tonsillitis and/or tonsillar hyperplasia at our hospital. Methods: This was a prospective case series of participants with tonsillitis or tonsillar hyperplasia at our hospital from 2018 to 2020. Results: A total of 80 participants with tonsillitis/or tonsillar hyperplasia were recruited into the study within August 2016 and March 2017 comprising 49 (61.3%) females and 31 (38.7%) males, with age ranging from 16 to 32 years (18.27 ± 4.21). Conclusions: The present study demonstrated a high proportion of less than optimal oral hygiene status in participants with tonsillitis/or tonsilar hyperplasia. This suggests that there might be an association between oral hygiene and tonsillitis/or tonsilar hyperplasia. Further research is, however, needed to prove this.