Comparison of Three Different Calcium Channel Blockers on Gingival Overgrowth in Hypertensive Patients

Abstract

Introduction: Calcium Channel Blockers (CCBs) like Nifedipine is the most widely used drug in many countries in the management of hypertension, with other drugs also in use like Amlodipine, and Felodipine. Gingival hyperplasia is the common adverse effect of the three classes of CCBs used commonly as dihydropyridine calcium antagonists. Aim: To compare the effect of three different CBCs on gingival overgrowth in hypertensive patients. Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was carried out in the Department of Periodontics, Sibar Institute of Dental Sciences, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. The study was conducted between September 2020 and February 2022. A total of 206 patients with hypertension taking CCBs, were enrolled and divided into three groups based on the patient’s medication as Group-I (nifedipine; n=83), Group-II (amlodipine; n=71) and Group-III (felodipine; n=52). Gingival Overgrowth (GOG) was graded and periodontal parameters like Plaque Index (PI), Gingival Index (GI), and Probing Pocket Depth (PPD) were recorded. One-way analysis of variance and Tukey’s post-hoc test were done to evaluate and compare between the groups. Results: Mean age of the patients in group-I was 60.81±4.13 years, in group-II was 62.70±4.19 years, and in group-III was 59.54±3.42 years. No significant difference in PI scores and GI scores was seen between the groups. The mean score for PPD in group-I was 5.91±0.14 mm, in group-II score was 5.76±0.14 mm and in group-III the score was 5.13±0.22 mm. A statistically significant difference (p<0.001) was observed in group-I when compared with group-II and group-III. The mean GOG scores in group-I, group-II, and group-III were 3.49±0.22, 2.98±0.3, and 2.74±0.16. A statistically significant (p=0.001) increase in GOG scores was observed in group-I followed by group-II and group-III. Conclusion: Nifedipine was the most prescribed drug with high amount of gingival overgrowth in patients with hypertension, compared with amlodipine and felodipine.