Oral Health Status and Treatment Needs of Individuals Attending a Special Education Center in South South Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Dental care has been the most commonly reported unmet service need among individuals with special health care needs. OBJECTIVES: To assess the oral health status and treatment needs of individuals with special health care needs in a selected special education centre in South South Nigeria. METHODS: A cross sectional, descriptive study conducted among students of Special Education Centre in Calabar. Sociodemographic data was collected while oral health conditions and treatment needs of the participants were assessed through oral examination. Data entry and analysis was by IBM SPSS version 21 and statistical significance was set at p<0.05. RESULTS: Eighty-one participants were recruited for this study. More than half of the participants were males (56.8%) and had hearing impairments alone (56%). The most common oral condition was dental caries (40.7%) with a mean DMFT/dmft of 0.4 (±1.0). Majority of the participants had fair oral hygiene and the mean OHIS was 2.4(±1.3). Male participants and participants within the 21-30 years age group had poorer oral hygiene than their female counterparts and other age groups respectively. The preventive and restorative treatment needs were 56% and 18.5% respectively. CONCLUSION: Dental caries was the most prevalent oral health condition among this population with high unmet preventive and restorative treatment needs.

CONTEXTE: Les soins dentaires sont le besoin de service non satisfait le plus souvent signalé chez les personnes ayant des besoins spéciaux en matière de santé. OBJECTIFS: Évaluer l'état de santé bucco-dentaire et les besoins de traitement des personnes ayant des besoins spéciaux en matière de soins de santé dans un centre d'éducation spéciale sélectionné dans le sud du Nigeria. MÉTHODES: Étude descriptive transversale menée auprès des étudiants du centre d'éducation spéciale de Calabar. Des données sociodémographiques ont été recueillies tandis que les conditions de santé bucco-dentaire et les besoins de traitement des participants ont été évalués par un examen bucco-dentaire. La saisie et l'analyse des données ont été effectuées par IBM SPSS version 21 et la signification statistique a été fixée à p<0,05. RÉSULTATS: Quatre-vingt-un participants ont été recrutés pour cette étude. Plus de la moitié des participants étaient des hommes (56,8%) et présentaient uniquement des déficiences auditives (56%). L'affection buccale la plus fréquente était la carie dentaire (40,7 %), avec un indice CAOD/CAOD moyen de 0,4 (+1,0). La majorité des participants avaient une hygiène bucco-dentaire correcte et l'OHIS moyen était de 2,4 (+1,3). Les hommes et les participants de la tranche d'âge 21­30 ans avaient une hygiène bucco-dentaire moins bonne que leurs homologues féminins et les autres tranches d'âge respectivement. Les besoins en traitements préventifs et restaurateurs étaient respectivement de 56% et 18,5%. CONCLUSION: Les caries dentaires étaient le problème de santé bucco-dentaire le plus répandu dans cette population, avec des besoins élevés en traitements préventifs et restaurateurs non satisfaits. Mots clés: Santé bucco-dentaire, caries dentaires, hygiène buccodentaire, éducation spéciale, besoins en soins spéciaux.

The Nigerian Dentist: Emerging Trends in Caries Management.

BACKGROUND: Fundamental to effective caries management, are measures that eliminate caries risk factors and increase caries protective factors. These include the use of appropriate and effective caries assessment, diagnostic and teaching methods. OBJECTIVES: To assess the use of current caries management protocols and teaching methods/techniques among Nigerian Dentists. METHODS: A pre-tested self-administered questionnaire was used. Only dentists of Nigerian descent and practicing in Nigeria were assessed. The questionnaire inquired about diagnostic tools, assessment and teaching methods used by the Dentists in caries management. RESULTS: More than half of the participants reported use of visual (86.3%), tactile method (76.2%) and periapical radiographs (66.2%) at all times for caries diagnosis. More than three quarters had never used electrical conductance, fibre-optic, CAMBRA, ICDAS, laser fluorescence or bacteria count in caries assessment and diagnosis. Among the 38.4% of the respondents who taught courses on cariology, didactic method and demonstration were the commonest methods used, while use of games was the least used. Didactic method was used more by those that had practiced for 10 years and more. This relationship was statistically significant (p= 0.05). CONCLUSION: Majority of Nigerian Dentists still depend solely on traditional methods of teaching, assessment and diagnosis of dental caries. Modern caries assessment, diagnostic techniques and teaching methods are needed to improve caries management in order to promote early treatment, which is often preventive.

CONTEXTE: Les mesures visant à éliminer les facteurs de risque de carie et à augmenter les facteurs de protection de la carie sont fondamentales pour une gestion efficace de la carie. Ces mesures comprennent l'utilisation de méthodes appropriées et efficaces d'évaluation, de diagnostic et d'enseignement des caries. OBJECTIFS: Évaluer l'utilisation des protocoles actuels de gestion des caries et des méthodes/techniques d'enseignement chez les dentistes nigérians. MÉTHODES: Un questionnaire autoadministré pré-testé a été utilisé. Seuls les dentistes d'origine nigériane et exerçant au Nigeria ont été évalués. Le questionnaire portait sur les outils de diagnostic, l'évaluation et les méthodes d'enseignement utilisés par les dentistes pour la gestion des caries. RÉSULTATS: Plus de la moitié des participants ont déclaré utiliser la méthode visuelle (86,3 %), la méthode tactile (76,2 %) et les radiographies périapicales (66,2 %) à tout moment pour le diagnostic des caries. Plus des trois quarts n'avaient jamais utilisé la conductivité électrique, la fibre optique, la CAMBRA, l'ICDAS, la fluorescence laser ou la numération bactérienne pour évaluer et diagnostiquer les caries. Parmi les 38,4 % des personnes interrogées ayant donné des cours de cariologie, la méthode didactique et la démonstration étaient les méthodes les plus utilisées, tandis que l'utilisation de jeux était la moins utilisée. La méthode didactique était plus utilisée par ceux qui avaient pratiqué pendant 10 ans et plus. Cette relation était statistiquement significative (p= 0,05). CONCLUSION: La majorité des dentistes nigérians dépendent encore uniquement des méthodes traditionnelles d'enseignement, d'évaluation et de diagnostic des caries dentaires. Des techniques modernes d'évaluation et de diagnostic des caries ainsi que des méthodes d'enseignement sont nécessaires pour améliorer la gestion des caries afin de promouvoir un traitement précoce, qui est souvent préventif. Mots clés: Gestion des caries, cariologie, dentistes nigérians.

The Knowledge of COVID-19 among Health Care Workers in a Nigerian Urban Community and their Willingness to Manage COVID-19 Patients.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 19 has resulted in morbidity and mortality among those that contracted the disease especially among health care workers (HCW) who are involved in the management of the infected patients. OBJECTIVE: To determine the level of knowledge of COVID-19 among health care workers and their willingness to treat infected patients. METHODOLOGY: This cross sectional, self-administered questionnaire-based study was conducted among health care workers in a Nigerian urban community. The questionnaires obtained information on social-demographic profile, knowledge of COVID-19 and the willingness to treat infected COVID-19 patients. Data were analyzed using Statistical Product and Service Solutions Version 21 for windows. Tables were presented in form of frequencies and percentages. Chis-quared statistics was used to compare the difference between groups while the level of significance was set at p<0.05. RESULTS: A total of 408 health care workers participated in this study, of which 276 were males (67.6%) and 132 females (32.4%). The age range of 31- 40years (42.5%) was more in practice. Majority (68.4%) of the participants had adequate knowledge regarding COVID-19 (Table 2). About 17.6% of the participants were willing to treat infected patients. There was a statistically significant difference between the willingness to treat COVID-19 patients and the fear of being infected among all the HCW. CONCLUSION: The knowledge of COVID 19 among healthcare workers was high but most of them were unwilling to treat infected patients because of fear of contracting the virus.

CONTEXTE: Le coronavirus 19 a entraîné une morbidité et une mortalité chez les personnes qui ont contracté la maladie, en particulier chez les travailleurs de la santé (TS) qui participent à la prise en charge des patients infectés. OBJECTIF: Déterminer le niveau de connaissance du COVID-19 parmi les travailleurs de la santé et leur volonté de traiter les patients infectés. MÉTHODOLOGIE: Cette étude transversale, basée sur un questionnaire auto-administré, a été menée parmi les travailleurs de la santé d'une communauté urbaine nigériane. Les questionnaires ont permis d'obtenir des informations sur le profil socio-démographique, la connaissance du COVID-19 et la volonté de traiter les patients infectés par le COVID-19. Les données ont été analysées à l'aide de Statistical Product and Service Solutions Version 21 for windows. Les tableaux ont été présentés sous forme de fréquences et de pourcentages. La statistique du chi carré a été utilisée pour comparer les différences entre les groupes tandis que le niveau de signification a été fixé à p <0,05. RÉSULTATS: Un total de 408 travailleurs de la santé ont participé à cette étude, dont 276 hommes (67,6%) et 132 femmes (32,4%). La tranche d'âge de 31 à 40 ans (42,5%) était la plus représentée dans la pratique. La majorité (68,4%) des participants avaient une connaissance adéquate de COVID-19 (Tableau 2). Environ 17,6% des participants étaient prêts à traiter les patients infectés. Il y avait une différence statistiquement significative entre la volonté de traiter les patients infectés par le COVID-19 et la peur d'être infecté parmi tous les travailleurs sociaux. CONCLUSION: La connaissance du COVID 19 parmi les travailleurs de la santé était élevée mais la plupart d'entre eux n'étaient pas disposés à traiter les patients infectés par peur de contracter le virus. Mots clés: COVID-19, Travailleurs de la santé, Connaissance, Volonté.

The Knowledge, Perception and Practices regarding the Novel COVID-19 among Undergraduate Clinical Dental Students in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID -19), is an infectious disease that has become a major public health emergency of international concern. It is necessary that Nigerian dental students have adequate knowledge about prevention/control of COVID-19 pandemic in dental practice. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and perception about COVID-19 among Nigerian dental students and its impact on their academic life. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A web-based questionnaire assessing knowledge and perception with a total of 46 scoreable responses was created using Survey Monkey, an online survey tool. We surveyed 178 out of 507 clinical dental students attending the 10 dental schools. Bivariate analysis was conducted to test the association between students' age, gender and knowledge and perception of COVID 19 infection. Logistic regression was also conducted to determine the predictors of having good knowledge of COVID 19. The effect of all significant factors was inferred at P< 0.05. RESULTS: The mean knowledge score of the dental students about infection control and COVID-19 was 32.19 (SD: 7.30, Range: 2-46). Knowledge scores significantly differed across genders, age-groups, class levels, university of study, previous lectures on infection prevention and control and risk-perception. The linear regression analysis showed that male gender (vs. female, ß: 0.242, P<0.001), age-group of 18-24 years (vs. 45-54years, ß: -0.305, P<0.001), class level 600 (vs. 500 level, ß: -0.154, P<0.001), previous lectures on infection prevention and control (vs. no lecture, ß: -0.186 , P=0.007), and a high-risk perception of COVID-19 ( vs. low-risk perception, ß: 0.220, P=0.001) were significantly associated with higher knowledge scores. CONCLUSION: The students were knowledgeable about mode of transmission, complications and diagnosis of COVID-19 but had limited understanding of the extra precautionary measures against COVID-19. These results imply that there is a need for an update of the infection prevention and control curriculum for dental students and improved quality assurance.

CONTEXTE: La maladie à virus Corona 2019 (COVID -19) est une maladie infectieuse qui est devenue une urgence de santé publique majeure de portée internationale. Il est nécessaire que les étudiants nigérians en médecine dentaire aient des connaissances adéquates sur la prévention / le contrôle de la pandémie de COVID-19 dans la pratique dentaire. Cette étude visait à évaluer les connaissances et la perception du COVID-19 parmi les étudiants en médecine dentaire nigérians et son impact sur leur vie universitaire. MATÉRIEL ET MÉTHODES: Un questionnaire en ligne évaluant les connaissances et la perception avec un total de 46 réponses notables a été créé à l'aide de Survey Monkey, un outil de sondage en ligne. Nous avons interrogé 178 des 507 étudiants cliniques dentaires qui fréquentent les 10 écoles dentaires. Une analyse bivariée a été menée pour tester l'association entre l'âge, le sexe et les connaissances des étudiants et leur perception de l'infection au COVID 19. Une régression logistique a également été menée pour déterminer les prédicteurs d'une bonne connaissance de COVID 19. L'effet de tous les facteurs significatifs a été déduit à P < 0,05. RÉSULTATS: Le score de connaissance moyen des étudiants en médecine dentaire sur le contrôle des infections et le COVID-19 était de 32,19 (ET : 7,30, intervalle : 2 à 46). Les scores de connaissances différaient significativement selon les sexes, les groupes d'âge, les niveaux de classe, l'université d'études, les conférences précédentes sur la prévention et le contrôle des infections et la perception des risques. L'analyse de régression linéaire a montré que le sexe masculin (vs. , tranche d'âge des 18-24 ans (vs 45-54 ans, : -0,305, P<0,001), classe niveau 600 (vs. 500 niveau, : -0,154, P<0,001), cours précédents sur l'infection la prévention et le contrôle (vs. pas de cours, : -0,186, P=0,007), et une perception à haut risque de COVID-19 (vs. perception à faible risque, : 0,220, P=0,001) étaient significativement associées à une notes de connaissances. CONCLUSION: Les étudiants connaissaient le mode de transmission, les complications et le diagnostic du COVID-19, mais avaient une compréhension limitée des mesures de précaution supplémentaires contre le COVID-19. Ces résultats impliquent qu'il est nécessaire de mettre à jour le programme de prévention et de contrôle des infections pour les étudiants en médecine dentaire et d'améliorer l'assurance qualité. Mots clés: Covid-19, Etudiants en médecine dentaire, Maladies infectieuses émergentes, Connaissances.

Dental Anomalies Associated with Orofacial Cleft among a Group of Individuals in Northwestern Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Orofacial clefts are the most common orofacial congenital malformations and dental anomalies are more prevalent in such individuals. OBJECTIVES: To assess the frequency and distribution of orofacial clefts and associated dental anomalies in a group of patients with orofacial clefts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study involving the assessment of dental records of orofacial cleft patients who had their surgical repair at a health institution between March, 2013 and December, 2019. Their socio demographic characteristics, type of cleft, type of dental anomaly observed, teeth affected and number of teeth affected were reviewed. The records were analysed using IBM SPSS, version 21 and Chi square test to compare differences between groups while the level of significance was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: A total number of 62 records were studied. More than half were males 36(58.1%) with a mean age of 16 (+ 15.6) years. The most frequent type of cleft was unilateral cleft lip (64.5%), majority had their cleft (65.3%) and dental anomalies (80.7%) on the left side of the face (p=0.001). The most frequently recorded dental anomaly was hypodontia/missing teeth (62.9%) and there was a significant relationship between tooth rotations and cleft lip. CONCLUSION: Unilateral left cleft lip was the most prevalent. Hypodontia/missing teeth was the most common dental anomaly among the study group. Tooth rotations were seen more in patients with cleft of the lip (CL). Individuals with orofacial cleft requires holistic health care so as to improve their quality of life.

Translation and Validation of the Nigerian Pidgin English Version of the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (NAIJA ECOHIS).

OBJECTIVES: The Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS) has been used in different countries and in different versions to assess the impact of oral health conditions on preschoolers. This study aimed to develop the Nigeria Pidgin English version of ECOHIS and investigate its psychometric properties. METHODS: The Nigerian Pidgin English version (NAIJA ECOHIS) was developed from the English version using the forward-backward translation technique. One hundred and four children aged 2-5 years attending a clinic were recruited for the study and the new version was administered to their parents/caregivers. Validity of the instrument was assessed based on the relationship between the NAIJA-ECOHIS scores and the global health rating scores using Spearman's rank correlation. The internal consistency reliability was tested using Cronbach's alpha coefficient while the test-retest reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficient by using scores of fifty participants who reported no change in their symptoms after one week. RESULTS: The NAIJA-ECOHIS version was created with some modifications to the original version. The association between the NAIJA ECOHIS scores and the two global questions as well as the correlation between the child and family sections were statistically significant (p <0.001). Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the child section, family section and Total NAIJA ECOHIS scores were 0.83, 0.79 and 0.86 respectively demonstrating good internal consistency. CONCLUSION: The NAIJA ECOHIS version was valid and reliable for assessing oral health related quality of life of preschool children whose parents/caregivers speak the Nigerian Pidgin English.

Impact of oral hygiene and socio-demographic factors on dental caries in a suburban population in Nigeria.

AIM: This was to determine dental caries determinants in the study participants. METHODOLOGY: This was a secondary data study extracted from primary data through a school-based study that recruited students from primary and secondary schools in a suburban population in Nigeria. The variables included age, gender, socio-economic status, oral hygiene status, type of parenting, birth rank, family size and presence of dental caries. The diagnosis of dental caries was based on the World Health Oral Health Survey recommendations while oral hygiene was determined using simplified-oral hygiene index (OHI-S). Data was analysed using STATA version 13, statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: The prevalence of dental caries for the study population was 12.2%, DMFT and dmft were 0.16 and 0.06 respectively. Children within age groups 11-13 and 14-16 years had reduced chances of having dental caries (P = 0.01; P = 0.01); children with fair oral hygiene and poor oral hygiene had increased odds of having dental caries (P ≤ 0.001; P ≤ 0.001), last child of the family also had increased odds of having dental caries while children from large family size had reduced odds of having dental caries. This study also showed that first permanent molars and second primary molars were mostly affected by dental caries but there was no significant difference between distribution of the maxillary or mandibular jaw or between right and left quadrants. CONCLUSION: Age, oral hygiene, birth rank and family size were the significant determinants of dental caries in the study population and the teeth mostly affected were first permanent molars and second primary molars.

The care of traumatic dental injuries in primary schools in Southern Nigeria.

AIM: To assess the standards of care given to children who sustain traumatic dental injuries (TDI) in Nigerian primary schools. STUDY DESIGN: cross-sectional study. Public and private schools were selected from the Southern geopolitical zones in Nigeria. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on the presence or absence of a school clinic, trained nurse, records and first aid box from the head teachers. The record of past traumatic dental injury, cause of the injury and treatment measures were also obtained. STATISTICS: the information obtained were analysed using SPSS version 20. RESULTS: There were 90 private and 90 public primary schools; 61 (34.1%) schools had school clinics. Forty-two (23.9%) of the schools had school nurses (7 public and 35 private schools), and 27 (64.3%) of them had been trained to treat dental emergencies. Only 14 (7.8%) of the schools had records of dental injuries, and luxation injuries (31.6%) was the commonest injury. Children who sustained injuries in the school premises were sent home in 59 (38.7%) schools, while 36 (22.5%) and 37 (23.1%) schools were referred to physicians and dentists, respectively. CONCLUSION: Many schools do not have school clinics/sick bays or are poorly equipped to handle dental emergencies. Sending children home or to health centres without first aid could affect the prognosis of dental injuries, since timely intervention is of utmost importance for a successful outcome.

THE STANDARD OF PLAYGROUNDS AND SAFETY MEASURES IN PREVENTION OF TRAUMATIC DENTAL INJURIES IN NIGERIAN PRIMARY SCHOOLS.

BACKGROUND: Playgrounds provide a recreational refuge for children and play a role in the development of their cognitive, psychosocial, and physical coordination skills. Unfortunately, it may also be a source of traumatic dental injuries (TDI). AIM: To assess the standards of playgrounds in primary schools in Southern Nigeria. SETTING: Selected public and private primary schools in Lagos (Southwest), Enugu (Southeast) and Rivers (Southsouth) states of Nigeria. MATERIALS & METHODS: Multi-stage sampling was used to select 180 schools (30 private and 30 public schools in each state) spread across the 3 study states of Lagos, Enugu and Rivers of Nigeria. A structured questionnaire which was interview administered was used to obtain information from the head teachers of 180 selected schools in Southern geo-political zones of Nigeria. The presence or absence of playgrounds & play equipment; quality of playgrounds and equipment; and supervision of the pupils during play were assessed. Statistical comparison of public and private schools, as well as comparison between the three geopolitical zones was by chi square statistics and one way ANOVA respectively. RESULTS: Playgrounds were present in 147(81.7%) schools; 83 (56.5%) and 64 (43.5%) were public and private schools respectively. Ninety three (51.7%) schools had teachers or minders at the play grounds during recreation. Most of the public schools had no minders. Majority (69.7%) of the playgrounds surfaces were bare earth. Ninety three (55.4%) schools had play equipment with about 7.5% of them padded. The maintenance of the play equipment was not regular in 54.3% of the schools. The impact absorbing surfaces under the play equipment were majorly (66.6%) pits filled with sand in the three zones while rubber matting was found only in 7.7% of schools which were exclusively in the Southwestern zone of the country. CONCLUSION: Most of the schools had playgrounds but inadequate consideration was given to safety measures in terms of playground size, surfaces, equipment type, height and supervisions by teachers. We therefore recommended that playgrounds should be standardized in Nigerian primary schools and more awareness about the occurrence and prevention of TDI during recreation should be created in schools.