Activated Charcoal-based Dental Products: Awareness, Knowledge and Opinion of Dental Practitioners in a Tertiary Hospital in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Recently, there is a resurgence in the practice of oral hygiene with charcoal-based oral hygiene products such as charcoal based dentifrices, toothbrushes and mouthwashes. Dental professionals need to be aware of these products to rightly educate patients on acclaimed merits and demerits. OBJECTIVE: To elicit the awareness, knowledge and opinion of dental professionals on the use of activated charcoal oral health products. METHODS: A cross-sectional study carried out among dental professionals. Data was collected using a pretested, self-administered questionnaire that sought information on respondents' demography, their awareness, knowledge and opinion on charcoal-based oral health care products. Descriptive and comparative analyses were done using SPSS version 21.0. and statistical significance were set at p <0.05. RESULTS: One hundred and three dental professionals participated with a slight female predominance and a F:M of 1,1:1. Forty-six (44.7%) and 10 (9.7%) respondents respectively were aware of charcoal-based toothpaste and toothbrush (p= 0.02, p=0.04). Sixteen (15.5%) of those who were aware got information from friends/colleagues. Only 19 (54.3%) of dentists knew that charcoal-based toothpaste can be used in tooth whitening and in the prevention of dental caries and periodontal diseases (p=0.01). There was generally a low knowledge about the uses, side effects and sequalae of the use of charcoal toothpastes and toothbrushes among all dental professionals. Attitude to use and willingness to recommend these products was also poor among them. CONCLUSION: There was a low awareness and knowledge of the uses and sequalae of charcoal-based oral health products among dental professionals.

Bad-breath: Perceptions and misconceptions of Nigerian adults.

OBJECTIVE: To provide baseline data about bad-breath perception and misconceptions among Nigerian adults. METHODS: Multi-center cross-sectional study of individuals aged 18-64 years using examiner-administered questionnaires. Age comparisons were based on the model of emerging adults versus full adults. Data were recoded for statistical analyses and univariate and secondary log-linear statistics applied. RESULTS: Participants had lopsided perceptions about bad-breath. While 730 (90.8%) identified the dentist as the expert on halitosis and 719 (89.4%) knew that bad-breath is not contagious, only 4.4% and 2.5% associated bad-breath with tooth decay and gum disease respectively. There were no significant sex differences but the older adults showed better knowledge in a few instances. Most respondents (747, 92.9%) would tell a spouse about their bad-breath and 683 (85%) would tell a friend. CONCLUSIONS: Participants had lop-sided knowledge and perceptions about bad-breath. Most Nigerian adults are their "brothers' keepers" who would tell a spouse or friend about their halitosis so they could seek treatment.

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.