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.

The risk factors and pattern of traumatic dental injuries in 10-12-year olds in Kano, Nigeria.

Background: Traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) rank among the most common conditions in children and adolescents. Nigerian dental trauma data are largely based on studies that were conducted in the southern parts of Nigeria. This study was designed to identify the risk factors and the pattern of TDIs among school-age children in northern Nigeria. Objectives: The objective of the study was to identify the risk factors for and to determine the pattern of dental injuries among 10-12-year-old males in Kano, northern Nigeria. Materials and Methods: Six hundred and ninety-six 10-12-year olds were selected through a multistage sampling of school children, street children and rehabilitated children in Kano and examined for TDIs using the WHO protocols. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS version 20. Statistical significance was considered when P < 0.05. Results: Six hundred and ninety-four 10-12-year olds participated in the study; The prevalence of TDIs was 6.6%. Being a street-child was associated with 30% higher risk for dental injuries (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.3; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.60 - 3.1; P = 0.48), whereas living as a rehabilitated street child (aOR = 0.41; 95% CI = 0.19 - 0.88; P = 0.02) and older age were associated with a reduced risk (aOR = 0.63; 95% CI = 0.39 - 1.01; P = 0.06) to injuries. The most common type of trauma was enamel-dentine injuries or Ellis II, and the most common cause was falls. Street children and low-age groups had more single-tooth injuries (85.7% and 85.0%, respectively). The commonly injured teeth were the maxillary right and left central incisors. Conclusion: Living on the street and young age were associated with the likelihood for injuries in male adolescents in Kano. The maxillary central incisors were the commonly affected teeth.

Dental Caries Prevalence, Severity, and Pattern Among Male Adolescents in Kano, Nigeria.

Background: Dental caries is the most common oral disease of mankind; however, there are limited data on the oral status of adolescents in northern Nigeria. Recently, the World Health Organization set the global caries goal as significant caries (SiC) index score of <3. This study was designed to appraise the magnitude of the disease among adolescents in northern Nigeria. Objectives: The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence, pattern, and severity of caries among 10-12-year-old adolescents in Kano, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: Six hundred and ninety-four school-aged children were selected through a multi-stage sampling of 10-12-year-old children in Kano and examined for dental caries using the WHO protocols. Data analysis was carried out using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 20 Inc. Chicago IL, USA). Results: The prevalence of caries was 22.9% with mean DMFT and SiC scores of 0.5 (±1.2) and 3.7 respectively. DMFT >0 ranged from 1 to 8. Tooth 85 (the right mandibular second primary molar) and tooth 36 (left mandibular permanent first molar) had the highest caries count for primary and permanent teeth respectively. More lesions occurred on the left mandible in primary and permanent teeth. The second primary molars and the first permanent molars were most affected by the disease. Conclusion: The prevalence of dental caries was low among male adolescents in Kano as evidenced by the low mean DMFT/dmft scores; however, the condition exceeded the recommended WHO thresholds. Caries occurred more frequently on teeth 85 and 36.

COVID-19 outbreak and dental health care provision in Nigeria: a national survey.

BACKGROUND: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the world is unprecedented, posing greater threats to vulnerable healthcare systems, especially in developing countries. This study aimed to assess the knowledge of dental healthcare providers in Nigeria about the disease and evaluate their responses to the preventive measures necessitated by COVID-19. METHODS: This was an online self-administered questionnaire-based study conducted among dentists practicing in Nigeria. A message containing the link to the survey was sent widely via social medial platforms and electronic mails to dentists practicing in Nigeria. The data collection was done between the 2nd of June and 3rd of July 2020. RESULTS: A total of 314 responses was recorded. Fever was the most specified generalized symptom (97.5%), while the use of masks (100%), hand hygiene (99.7%), social distancing (97.7%) and surface cleaning (99.4%) were the most commonly employed general preventive methods. The main identified risk of transmission in the clinic was aerosol generating procedures (98.7%). CONCLUSION: The general knowledge of dental personnel in our study population appears to be adequate on the common clinical features of COVID-19 but less adequate regarding the less common features. The COVID-19 pandemic has also modified some aspects of dental service delivery but more needs to be done in this regard. Preventive measures against the transmission of COVID-19 in dental practice settings include proper utilization of teledentistry, clinical triage, preprocedural 1% hydrogen peroxide oral rinses, and the use of appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) which should always be encouraged.

Effect of Dental Treatment on the Quality of Life of Children with Traumatic Dental Injuries in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Background: Anterior dental trauma is known to be common in our environment as well as the complications that come with it. These injuries have been seen to impact the quality of life (QoL) of children significantly due to the fact that they compromise their dental health. This leads to aesthetic, psychological, social, and therapeutic problems impacting both the children and their parents. Treatment of these injuries has also been severely neglected possibly due to lack of awareness of where or how to access treatment as well as fear of dental treatment. However, treatment may on the other hand bring about a substantial improvement on the QoL of children in terms of their daily living. Aim: To assess the effect of dental treatment on the QoL of 12- to 15-year-old Nigerian school children previously identified as having had traumatized anterior teeth. Design: This is a follow-up study where secondary data were extracted from a cross-sectional study involving 1575 children attending public and private secondary schools in Ibadan, Nigeria. One hundred and ninety-six adolescents with evidence of dental trauma, previously identified as having their QoL negatively affected as a result of dental trauma, were called to take part in the follow-up study. The Child Perception Questionnaire (CPQ11-14) was used in assessing the QoL of participants with dental trauma before and after treatment. Data were analysed using the IBM® SPSS® Statistics version 20.0, and the effect of dental treatment on the QoL of the participants was assessed using the McNemar's test. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: Fifty-one (26.0%) out of the 196 invited children participated; there were 31 males and 20 females. The mean age was 13.4 years (standard deviation 1.1 years). Eighty traumatized anterior teeth were involved, with the maxillary centrals being the commonest (68, 85%). Twenty-three (45.1%) participants had more than one traumatized tooth. The commonest dental trauma was enamel fracture, which involved the dentine (39, 48.8%). The main treatments given were composite build-up (36, 45%) and root canal treatment (42, 52.5%). With the CPQ11-14, in the oral symptoms domain, the number adversely affected before treatment fell from 30 (58.8%) to 3 (5.9%) (P < 0.001); in the emotional well-being domain, the number dropped from 35 (68.6%) to 10 (19.6%) (P < 0.001); and in the social well-being domain, the number fell from 34 (66.7%) to 22 (43.1%) (P = 0.004). However, in the functional limitation domain, the number adversely affected increased from 24 (47.1%) before to 46 (90.2%) after treatment (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Treatment resulted in a significant improvement in the QoL of participants, especially regarding their oral symptoms, and emotional and social well-being. However, there was worsening in the functional limitation domain. There is the need to introduce oral health into the school curriculum in order to encourage early reporting and prompt treatment of traumatic dental injuries.

Contexte: Les traumatismes dentaires antérieurs sont connus pour être fréquents dans notre environnement ainsi que les complications qui en découlent. Ces blessures ont un impact significatif sur la qualité de vie des enfants en raison du fait qu'elles compromettent leur santé dentaire. Cela conduit à des problèmes esthétiques, psychologiques, sociaux et thérapeutiques affectant à la fois les enfants et leurs parents. Le traitement de ces blessures a également été gravement négligé, peut-être en raison du manque de connaissance de l'endroit et de la manière d'accéder au traitement ainsi que de la peur des soins dentaires. Cependant, le traitement peut en revanche apporter une amélioration substantielle de la qualité de vie des enfants au niveau de leur vie quotidienne. Objectif: Évaluer l'effet d'un traitement dentaire sur la qualité de vie d'écoliers nigérians âgés de 12 à 15 ans précédemment identifiés comme ayant eu des dents antérieures traumatisées. Conception: Une étude de suivi où les données secondaires ont été extraites d'une étude transversale portant sur 1575 enfants fréquentant des écoles secondaires publiques et privées à Ibadan, au Nigéria. Cent quatre-vingt-seize adolescents présentant des signes de traumatisme dentaire, précédemment identifiés comme ayant une qualité de vie affectée négativement à la suite d'un traumatisme dentaire, ont été appelés à participer à l'étude de suivi. Le Questionnaire de perception de l'enfant (CPQ11-14) a été utilisé pour évaluer la qualité de vie des participants ayant subi un traumatisme dentaire avant et après le traitement. Les données ont été analysées à l'aide d'IBM® SPSS® Statistics version 20.0 et l'effet du traitement dentaire sur la qualité de vie des participants a été évalué à l'aide du test de McNemar. La signification statistique a été fixée à P < 0,05. Résultats: Cinquante et un (26,0%) des 196 enfants invités ont participé; il y avait 31 hommes et 20 femmes. L'âge moyen était de 13,4 (SD 1.1) ans. Quatre- vingt dents antérieures traumatisées ont atteinte, les centrales maxillaires étant les plus fréquentes (68, 85%). Vingt-trois (45,1%) participants avaient plus d'une dent traumatisée. Le traumatisme dentaire le plus fréquent était la fracture de l'émail impliquant la dentine (39, 48,8%). Les principaux traitements administrés étaient la reconstitution de composite (36, 45%) et le traitement canalaire (42, 52,5%). Avec le CPQ11-14, dans le domaine des symptômes oraux, le nombre de patients atteints avant le traitement est passé de 30 (58,8%) à 3 (5,9%) (P < 0,001); dans le domaine du bien-être émotionnel, le nombre est passé de 35 (68,6%) à 10 (19,6%) (P < 0,001) et dans le domaine du bien-être social, le nombre est passé de 34 (66,7%) à 22 (43,1%) (P = 0,004). Cependant, dans le domaine de la limitation fonctionnelle, le nombre de personnes atteintes est passé de 24 (47,1%) avant à 46 (90,2%) après traitement (P < 0,001). Conclusion: Le traitement a entraîné une amélioration significative de la qualité de vie des participants, en particulier en ce qui concerne leurs symptômes buccaux et leur bien-être émotionnel et social. Cependant, il y avait une aggravation dans le domaine de la limitation fonctionnelle. Il est nécessaire d'introduire la santé bucco-dentaire dans le programme scolaire afin d'encourager le signalement précoce et le traitement rapide des blessures dentaires traumatiques.

Preventive oral health practices of school pupils in Southern Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: One of the goals of the World Health Organisation goal is to ensure increased uptake of preventive oral self-care by 2020. This would require the design public health programmes that will ensure children place premium on preventive oral health care uptake. One effort in that direction is the need for countries to define baseline measures on use of preventive oral self-care measures by their population as well as identify factors that impact on its use. This study aims to determine the prevalence and the impact of age and sex on the use of recommended oral self-care measures by pupils in Southern Nigeria. METHODS: Pupils age 8 to 16 years (N = 2,676) in two urban sites in Southern Nigeria completed a questionnaire about recommended oral self-care (use of fluoridated toothpaste, flossing, regularity of consuming sugary snacks between main meals), time of the last dental check-up and cigarette smoking habit. Chi square was used to test association between age (8-10years, 11-16 years), sex, and use of recommended oral self-care. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the predictors of use of recommended oral self-care. RESULTS: Only 7.8% of the study population practiced the recommended oral self-care. Older adolescents had an 8.0% increased odds (OR: 1.08; CI:0.81-1.43; p = 0.61) and males had a 20.0% decreased odds (OR: 0.80; CI:0.60-1.06; p = 0.12) of practicing recommended oral self-care though observed differences were not statistically significant. Very few respondents (12.7%) had visited the dental clinic for a check-up in the last one year. Majority of the respondents (92.2%) were non-smokers. CONCLUSIONS: The use of a combination of oral self-care approaches was very low for this study population. Age and sex were predictive factors for the use of components of the oral self-care measures but not significant predictors of use of recommended oral self-care. Future studies would be required to understand 'why' and 'how' age and sex impacts on the use of caries preventive oral self-care measures to be able to design effective prevention educational programmes for the study population.