Periodontal status and oral hygiene practices among adults in a peri-urban fishing community in Ghana.

Introduction: fisherfolk play a major role in emerging economies such as Ghana. While many fishing communities are noted to be underdeveloped, fisherfolk are considered to neglect their oral hygiene, while being prone to certain conditions due to peculiar risks. The purpose of this study was to determine the periodontal health status of adults in a selected fishing community in Ghana. Methods: a descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out to assess the periodontal status of adults in Jamestown, a peri-urban area in Ghana. Data acquisition was by means of a structured questionnaire and periodontal examination. Information obtained consisted of demographic data (age, sex, education and occupation category) oral hygiene practices (type of teeth cleaning materials, methods of tooth cleansing, frequency of dental visits and reasons for the visit) and periodontal clinical parameters (plaque index, and community periodontal index of treatment needs). Results: a total of 276 participants were included in the study, with ages ranging from 21 to 70 years. The participants were made up of 138 fisherfolk and 138 non-fisherfolk. Males had worse scores for periodontal disease compared to females. Plaque score did not vary among age groups, but changed significantly between educational level and occupational categories. CPITN varied significantly between educational levels, age categories and occupational categories. Conclusion: the study found inhabitants of the fishing community of Jamestown to have a generally unsatisfactory periodontal status, but worse for the fisherfolk in the community.

Periodontitis prevalence and severity in an African population: A cross-sectional study in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana.

BACKGROUND: Periodontitis is a major public health problem affecting many adults, with considerable variation in its prevalence and severity worldwide. There is little data on its prevalence or associated risk factors in Ghana making development of evidence based preventive programs challenging. This study assessed the prevalence, severity, extent, and associated risk factors of periodontitis in an adult Ghanaian population. METHODS: A population based cross-sectional study involving adults aged ≥25 years in the Greater Accra Region (GAR) of Ghana. A random stratified two-stage sampling method was used to select participants from rural and urban communities. Data on sociodemographic and risk factors were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. A full-mouth periodontal examination was performed to diagnose and describe the severity of periodontitis following the CDC-AAP case definition. RESULTS: A total of 729 participants were included in the study, with a mean age of 43.9 ± 14.6 years and 61% being female. Majority (84.8%) presented with gingivitis, 46.7% had periodontitis with 41.8% having both, and 13.9% had severe periodontitis. The mean clinical attachment loss (AL) was 1.36 ± 0.67 mm and 1.41 ± 0.57 mm for probing depth (PD). Factors associated with periodontitis included, increasing age, smoking, and alcohol use; being Muslim provided lower odds of disease. Older people, former smoking, being underweight and not having health insurance were associated with severe periodontitis. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows a high burden of periodontitis with comparatively more severe disease. Existing sociodemographic disparities in disease burden highlights the need of developing targeted population based preventive programs.

Detection of herpes viruses in Ghanaian patients with periodontitis.

AIM: The complexity of periodontitis in both etiology and progression has raised many questions, necessitating enormous research in recent years. The aim of the present study was to detect the presence of herpes viruses in Ghanaian patients diagnosed with periodontitis. METHODS: Thirty-one patients were included in the study; 21 with periodontitis classified into localized chronic, generalized, and aggressive periodontitis, and 10 without the disease were used as controls. Subgingival samples were collected, followed by DNA extraction. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction was used to amplify viral DNA for the detection of herpes viruses. Data was analyzed using Stata 14. RESULTS: The mean age for patients with aggressive periodontitis was 32.2 years (standard deviation [SD]: 8.50), while those for localized chronic periodontitis and generalized chronic periodontitis were 40.6 years (SD: 7.83) and 46.3 years (SD: 12.12), respectively. Viruses were detected only among patients clinically diagnosed with aggressive periodontitis. Of the total number of aggressive periodontitis patients, herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) and Epstein-Barr virus (HBV) were found in four (44%) and one (11%), respectively. The mean age for patients found to have HSV-1 or EBV was 29 years (SD: 6.93). CONCLUSION: We found HSV-1 and EBV in the subgingival plaque samples of Ghanaian patients clinically diagnosed with aggressive periodontitis. While our finding requires further investigation, the role of HSV in periodontitis, if elucidated, could transform and inform the clinical management of the condition.