Periodontal status and its association with self-reported hypertension in non-medical staff in a university teaching hospital in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: A growing body of evidence suggests a relationship between periodontal disease and non-communicable systemic diseases with rising prevalence in developing countries, Nigeria inclusive. OBJECTIVES: To determine the periodontal status and its association with self-reported hypertension among non-medical staff in a university teaching hospital in Nigeria. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among non-medical staff using self-administered questionnaires and periodontal clinical examination between July and August 2013. Multivariate analysis was explored to determine the independent variables associated with self-reported hypertension. P values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: A total of 276 subjects were enrolled into the study. Shallow pockets (CPI code 3) constituted the predominant periodontal disease (46.7%), calculus (CPI code 2) 46%, bleeding gingiva (CPI code 1) in 3.3% and deep pockets ≥ 6mm (CPI code 4) in 2.2%. Self-reported hypertension was the most prevalent self-reported medical condition (18.1%) and found to be associated with periodontitis, increasing age, lower education, and a positive family history of hypertension. CONCLUSION: Periodontal disease was highly prevalent in this study. Self-reported hypertension was associated with periodontitis, older age, lower education and a positive family history. Periodic periodontal examination and regular blood pressure assessment for non-medical staff is recommended.

PERIODONTAL SYSTEMIC INTERACTION: PERCEPTION, ATTITUDES AND PRACTICES AMONG MEDICAL DOCTORS IN NIGERIA.

BACKGROUND: Periodontal diseases (PD) impact the outcome of some systemic illnesses. Medical doctors' knowledge and practices regarding this association may influence the effective management of their patients. This has been understudied among Nigerian doctors. AIM: The study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding periodontal-systemic disease interactions among medical doctors in Nigeria. METHODOLOGY: This was a descriptive, cross sectional study by design, while the study setting was at the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN), Ijanikin, Lagos. The study participants were senior resident doctors attending compulsory Research Methodology and Management courses organized by the NPMCN in 2014. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed among the participants to obtain information on their socio-demography, PD knowledge, association between PD and systemic illnesses, attitudes to periodontal health and oral hygiene practices questionnaires. Student t test and ANOVA were used to test associations between variables. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 236 doctors participated in the study with a mean age of 35.8 (± 4.5) years, males being predominant (62.7%). Few doctors (42.1%) knew dental plaque as the main cause of PD, while 16.5% were aware of gum bleeding as earliest sign. Female doctors displayed better knowledge than males (p= 0.044). Majority were aware of an association between PD and chronic kidney disease (88.6%) and diabetes (86.5%). Knowledge of PD as a risk factor for stroke was 33.1%, poor glycemic control (25.4%), and pre-term low birthweight (14.8%). Most doctors had positive attitudes towards patients' periodontal health, while 33.5% assessed their patients' oral cavity regularly. All the doctors used tooth brush and paste to clean their teeth, while 43.2% cleaned twice daily. Only 16.5% used dental floss frequently and was associated with higher PD knowledge (p<0.001) and higher attitude scores (p=0.005). CONCLUSION: Senior resident doctors in Nigeria have positive attitudes regarding periodontal health. However, poor knowledge of PD and PD as risk factor for some systemic illnesses, coupled with unsatisfactory oral hygiene and dental examination practices are evident among the doctors.

PERIODONTAL SYSTEMIC INTERACTION: PERCEPTION, ATTITUDES AND PRACTICES AMONG MEDICAL DOCTORS IN NIGERIA.

BACKGROUND: Periodontal diseases (PD) impact the outcome of some systemic illnesses. Medical doctors' knowledge and practices regarding this association may influence the effective management of their patients. This has been understudied among Nigerian doctors. AIM AND OBJECTIVES: To determine the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding periodontal-systemic disease interactions among medical doctors in Nigeria. METHODOLOGY: This was a descriptive, cross sectional study by design, while the study setting was at the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN), Ijanikin, Lagos. The study participants were senior resident doctors attending compulsory Research Methodology and Management courses organized by the NPMCN in 2014. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed among the participants to obtain information on their socio-demography, PD knowledge, association between PD and systemic illnesses, attitudes to periodontal health and oral hygiene practices questionnaires. Student t test and ANOVA were used to test associations between variables. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 236 doctors participated in the study with a mean age of 35.8 (± 4.5) years, males being predominant (62.7%). Few doctors (42.1%) knew dental plaque as the main cause of PD, while 16.5% were aware of gum bleeding as earliest sign. Female doctors displayed better knowledge than males (p= 0.044). Majority were aware of an association between PD and chronic kidney disease (88.6%) and diabetes (86.5%). Knowledge of PD as a risk factor for stroke was 33.1%, poor glycemic control (25.4%), and pre-term low birthweight (14.8%). Most doctors had positive attitudes towards patients' periodontal health, while 33.5% assessed their patients' oral cavity regularly. All the doctors used tooth brush and paste to clean their teeth, while 43.2% cleaned twice daily. Only 16.5% used dental floss frequently and was associated with higher PD knowledge (p<0.001) and higher attitude scores (p=0.005). CONCLUSION: Senior resident doctors in Nigeria have positive attitudes regarding periodontal health. However, poor knowledge of periodontal disease, and periodontal disease as risk factor for some systemic illnesses, coupled with unsatisfactory oral hygiene and dental examination practices are evident among the doctors.

Self-Reported Medical Conditions and Oral Health Status of Patients seen in a Nigerian Dental Clinic.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of self-reported medical conditions among patients attending a dental clinic in Nigeria. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the Oral Diagnosis Clinic of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect bio-data and history of medical conditions. Oral examination was carried out on all the patients. Teeth present, carious teeth, mobile teeth and the oral hygiene status were recorded. Data entry and analysis was done using SPSS statistical software. RESULTS: The prevalence of self-reported medical conditions in this study was 22.1%. Hypertension was the most prevalent (10.3%), followed by allergies (4.4%), diabetes mellitus (4%) and gastrointestinal disorders (3%). Hypertension (p=0.000) and diabetes (p=0.000) had a statistically significant association with increasing age. The prevalence of medical conditions increased significantly with the increased number of mobile teeth (p=0.033). There was no statistically significant association between the self-reported medical conditions and the number of carious teeth (p=0.619), the oral hygiene status (p=0.765) and the educational level (p=0.712). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of medical conditions among the dental patients was moderate.

Periodontitis & sub-fertility; opinions and practices of Nigerian specialists.

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence in the emerging field of periodontal medicine continues to stimulate research to verify the association between chronic periodontitis and general health. The link between chronic periodontitis and sub-fertility has not been well-investigated except for a handful of reports spanned over several decades. METHODS: As a prelude to a series of observational and interventional studies, 119 specialists and doctors participated in an online survey to ascertain their practices and opinions about this link. Our main exposure variables were dental history taking, periodontal/dental referrals and knowledge of possible link between chronic periodontitis and sub-fertility. RESULTS/FINDINGS: Our findings showed that dental history taking and periodontal/dental referrals were not part of sub-fertility management protocols of Nigerian specialists and doctors. These findings proved true irrespective of basic and postgraduate experience. Specialty was the only explanatory variable that accounted for statistical significance with the main exposure variables but the figures of members of different specialties were too low for any meaningful comparisons. CONCLUSIONS: The findings confirmed our suspicion of an almost complete lack of knowledge of this unlikely yet plausible association which deserves further research.