Prevalence of joint hypermobility among young adults, its influence on periodontal instrumentation performance, and public health implications

The lack of exploration into how joint hypermobility may impact periodontal instrumentation for treating periodontal diseases may remain a significant indirect risk to public health, with both conditions continuing to impose a burden on the public healthcare system. The primary aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of joint hypermobility among young adults and its impact on clinical periodontal instrumentation performance among dental hygiene students. The research employed a retrograde cross-sectional approach with the inclusion of dental hygiene students. By combining Beighton criteria 1 and 2 with an additional third criterion, a clinical examination was able to detect joint hypermobility. The occurrence of joint hypermobility was correlated with clinical performance through performance record reviews. The research data underwent statistical comparisons and linear regression analysis. A total of 77 young adults from dental hygiene school participated, and nearly half (46.6%, n = 36) of them experienced joint hypermobility. Participants scoring positive on criterion 1 are 37.7% (n = 29), with 46.8% (n = 36) meeting both criterions 2 and 3. A significant variance at 0.000 (P < .05) was found between the participants who were positive for criterion 1 and those who were negative; the former group had a mean clinical performance score of 63.72 ± 15.86 on the clinical performance assessments, while the latter group had a mean performance score of 88.75 ± 14.63. Similarly, participants who scored positive on both Criteria 2 and Criteria 3 had a lower mean performance score (61.50 ± 13.65 vs 94.98 ± 3.24, respectively) than those who scored negative. A remarkable degree of joint hypermobility was discerned in nearly half of the young adults. This first-ever study unveils the subpar clinical periodontal instrumentation performance in the joint hypermobility presence. This study cautiously recognizes the exquisite phenomenon of joint hypermobility as an intriguing barrier to effective delivery of periodontal care, with its influence on the motor skills of individuals and public health.