Differences in Oral Lesions Associated with Tobacco Smoking, E-Cigarette Use and COVID-19 Infection among Adolescents and Young People in Nigeria.

COVID-19 infection is associated with oral lesions which may be exacerbated by tobacco smoking or e-cigarette use. This study assessed the oral lesions associated with the use of e-cigarettes, tobacco smoking, and COVID-19 among adolescents and young people in Nigeria. A national survey recruited 11-23-year-old participants from the 36 States of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Data were collected using Survey Monkey®. Binary logistic regression analysis was conducted. Statistical significance was set at p-value less than 0.05. There were 2870 participants, of which 386 (13.4%) were tobacco smokers, 167 (5.8%) e-cigarette users, and 401 (14.0%) were both e-cigarette and tobacco users; and 344 (12.0%) had ever tested positive to COVID-19. Adolescents and young people who smoked tobacco had more than twice the odds of reporting gingival inflammation, oral ulcers, dry mouth, and changes in taste than those who did not smoke. Those who used e-cigarettes had 1.5 times higher odds of reporting oral lesions. Respondents who had COVID-19 infection had higher odds of reporting gingival inflammation and lower odds of reporting dry mouth than those who did not have COVID-19 infection. These findings were significant, and may help clinicians to screen for tobacco use and COVID-19 among adolescents and young people in Nigeria.

Pattern of presentation of oral health conditions among children at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Objective: To evaluate the spectrum of oral health conditions that presented at the Child Dental Health Clinic. Methods: A 30-month retrospective study of oral health conditions of 462 children, 222 (48.3%) males and 238 (51.7%) females, aged 16 years and below seen at the Dental Centre, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Results: The average age of the patients was 8.5 + 3.8 (SD) years. Nineteen (4.1%) children attended for routine dental check-up and there were no routine visits before the age of one year. Two hundred and fifteen (46.2%) of the children were diagnosed with dental caries, while 91 (19.7%) of the children had chronic gingivitis. Only 42 (9.1%) children attended due to traumatic injuries to the dentition. Forty six (10%) were referred for orthodontic management. There was a female predilection for dental caries (58.1%) while the males were found to have more periodontal diseases. Conclusion: There is a poor dental awareness as reflected by the proportion of children that attended the clinic for routine visits and the severity of some of the dental conditions suggesting late presentations. An early age dental visit should be encouraged since it provides a foundation upon which a lifetime of preventive education and oral health care can be developed.

Objetivo: Avaliar as condições de saúde bucal de crianças atendidas na Clínica Odontológica Infantil. Método: Um estudo restrospectivo de 30 meses foi conduzido em 462 crianças - 222 (48,3%) do sexo masculino e 238 (51,7%) do sexo feminino, com at‚ 16 anos de idade atendidas no Centro de Odontologia da Universidade de Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, na Nig‚éia. Resultados: A idade média dos pacientes foi de 8,5+3,8 anos. Dezenove (4,1%) crian‡çs foram atendidas para exame odontológico de rotina, não existindo consultas odontológicas nates de um ano de idade. Duzentos e quinze crianças (46,2%) possuiam lesães de c rie dent ria, enquanto 91 (19,7%) apresentavam gengivite crônica. Apenas 42 crian‡as (9,1%) foram atendidas devido a traumatismos dentários. Quarenta e seis crianças (10,0%) foram encaminhadas para tratamento ortodôntico. Houve uma predileção do sexo feminino para a cárie dentária (58,1%), enquanto os meninos apresentaram maior frequência de doença periodontal. Conclusão: H  uma deficiência nos cuidados dentários que‚ refletido pela proporção de crianças que compareceram ao ambulatório para visitas de rotina e pela gravidade de algumas das condições dentárias apresentadas sugerindo uma procura tardia pelos serviços de saúde. A consulta odontológica precoce deve ser incentivada, pois proporciona uma base sobre a qual a educação preventiva em sa£de e cuidados de saúde bucal podem ser implementados.

Bilateral tuberculate supernumerary teeth.

Supernumerary teeth are teeth in excess of the normal series occurring in any region of the dental arch. They are located mostly in the anterior maxillary region and are classified according to their location and morphology. The tuberculate type of supernumerary tooth possesses more than one cusp or tubercle (barrel shaped). It is rare to find bilateral tuberculate supernumerary teeth in the premaxillary region and when found they rarely erupt. This report describes a 13-year-old boy with erupted palatally placed bilateral tuberculate supernumerary teeth. The presence of these supernumerary teeth led to the labial displacement and rotations of the anterior maxillary teeth. The treatment involved extraction of the supernumerary teeth and a referral for orthodontic management of the crowding, displacement and rotations. The occurrence of erupted palatally placed tuberculate anterior teeth in this case is a rare experience. However, the associated orthodontic problems are within familiar spectrum.