Oral health status, knowledge and practice among pregnant women attending Omdurman maternity hospital, Sudan.

Good oral health is important in pregnancy but little is known about the oral health and knowledge and practices of pregnant Sudanese women. This cross-sectional study was conducted to address this gap. A sample of 420 pregnant women attending the prenatal clinic at Omdurman maternity hospital were interviewed and examined for caries and periodontal disease. The mean age of the women was 27.1 (SD 5.8) years, 52.4% had > primary school education and 7.1% were employed. Only 12% had a high level of oral health knowledge and 21.2% a positive attitude towards oral health. Most of the women (65.9%) had poor oral health practices; only 10.2% had visited a dentist during pregnancy. On clinical examination, 58.6% had healthy gums while 12.1% had bleeding gums and 22.9% had calculus. The mean decayed, missing and filled teeth value was 1.16 in the age group 16-19 years and 3.49 in age group ≥ 20 years. These findings suggest the need for oral health programmes as part of prenatal care for pregnant Sudanese women.

Prevalence of apical periodontitis and frequency of root-filled teeth in an adult Sudanese population.

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of teeth with apical periodontitis (AP) and root-filled (RF) teeth in an adult Sudanese population. Panoramic and periapical radiographs were obtained for 200 patients over 18 years of age seeking routine dental care and attending the dental clinics (University of Khartoum) and the dental hospital (University of Science and Technology) for the first time. The periapical status of all teeth (except third molars) was categorized on the basis of the presence or absence of radiographic signs of AP. In addition, the frequency of RF teeth was recorded. Data were analyzed using the chi-square test and odds ratio (OR). The periapical status of 4,967 teeth was assessed. AP in one or several teeth was identified in 95 (47%) patients and in 3.3% of the teeth. The prevalence of AP was higher in molar teeth (7.3%) than in premolar (3.5%) and anterior teeth (0.9%, p ≤ .001). There were 80 (1.6%) RF teeth in 42 (21%) patients. The probability of root-filling in molar and premolar teeth was almost twice that of anterior teeth (OR with 95% confidence intervals: 1.06 < 1.91 < 3.44, p ≤ .05). The prevalence of RF teeth increased with age (OR of 48 ± year = 3.06, p ≤ .001). Statistical analysis showed that the probability of radiological detection of AP in RF teeth was 17-fold higher than in nonfilled ones (OR with 95% confidence intervals: 9.87 < 16.83 < 28.25, p ≤ .001). Therefore, the probability of AP, RF teeth with or without AP, and missing teeth was high in molar teeth than in anterior or premolar teeth. The frequency of RF teeth was low compared to that demonstrated in most other epidemiological studies. This highlights the need to focus on improving the quality of restorations and the procedure by which root canal is shaped and disinfected.

Oral health status, knowledge and practice among pregnant women attending Omdurman maternity hospital, Sudan

Good oral health is important in pregnancy but little is known about the oral health and knowledge and practices of pregnant Sudanese women. This cross-sectional study was conducted to address this gap. A sample of 420 pregnant women attending the prenatal clinic at Omdurman maternity hospital were interviewed and examined for caries and periodontal disease. The mean age of the women was 27.1 [SD 5.8] years, 52.4% had > primary school education and 7.1% were employed. Only 12% had a high level of oral health knowledge and 21.2% a positive attitude towards oral health. Most of the women [65.9%] had poor oral health practices; only 10.2% had visited a dentist during pregnancy. On clinical examination, 58.6% had healthy gums while 12.1% had bleeding gums and 22.9% had calculus. The mean decayed, missing and filled teeth value was 1.16 in the age group 16-19 years and 3.49 in age group >/= 20 years. These findings suggest the need for oral health programmes as part of prenatal care for pregnant Sudanese women

Une bonne santé bucco-dentaire est importante en période de grossesse, mais peu d'informations sont disponibles sur l'état de santé bucco-dentaire, les connaissances et les pratiques des femmes enceintes soudanaises en la matière. La présente étude transversale a été conduite afin de combler cette lacune. Un échantillon de 420 femmes enceintes de la clinique prénatale de la maternité de l'hôpital d'Omdourman ont été interrogées et examinées afin de déterminer si elles souffraient de caries et de parodontopathies. L'âge moyen des femmes étaient de 27,1 ans [ET 5,8] ; 52,4% avaient suivi un enseignement primaire, et 7,1% avaient un emploi. Seulement 12% d'entre elles avaient une bonne connaissance de la santé bucco-dentaire, et 21,2% démontraient une attitude positive en la matière. La majorité des femmes [65,9%] avaient de mauvaises pratiques d'hygiène bucco-dentaire, et seulement 20% s'étaient rendues chez un dentiste au cours de leur grossesse. A l'examen clinique, 58,6% avaient des gencives saines, contre 12,1% qui souffraient de saignements gingivaux et 22,9% qui avaient du tartre dentaire. La moyenne de l'indice CAO [dent cariée, absente ou obturée] était de 1,16 pour le groupe d'âge des 16-19 ans, et de 3,49 pour le groupe d'âge des 20 ans et plus. Ces résultats laissent penser qu'il existe un besoin en programmes de santé bucco-dentaire dans le cadre des soins prénatals pour les femmes enceintes soudanaises

Outcomes of intra-arterial thrombolysis for acute limb ischemia.

Intra-arterial thrombolysis is an alternative treatment to surgery for acute limb ischemia. We report our own experiences by retrospectively assessing initial and long-term outcomes using this strategy. Patients (n = 48; 50 events) underwent thrombolysis according to our protocol (64.6% male, median age 68.5 years). Using thrombolysis as an initial treatment strategy, overall limb survival on index admission was 84%. Of this group who had successful limb salvage, 76% was attributable to thrombolysis alone, and 24% had limb salvage attributable to subsequent surgery after failed thrombolysis or anticoagulation. Significant complications occurred in 8% of cases, and no deaths were attributed to thrombolysis. Patients alive at 6 and 24 months after index admission who had limb salvage attributable to thrombolysis alone had limb survival rates of 89% and 82%, respectively. The majority of these patients had not required subsequent secondary procedures to maintain limb survival. Thrombolysis is an acceptable and less invasive treatment of acute limb ischemia, with many patients not needing subsequent surgery.