A preliminary study of psychological pain among patients attending the dental clinic of a tertiary hospital

Objective: Dental practitioners frequently encounter individuals who suffer from psychological pain at the dental clinics. Most dentists do not have the training or the instrument to recognise and manage psychological pain associated with dental treatment. This study was carried out to determine the level of psychological pain among dental patients visiting the dental clinic of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria. Method: One hundred and twenty five patients who attended the dental clinic of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria were invited to take part in the study. They completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, Psychache Scale (PAS) and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS) in order to determine their levels of psychological pain and anxiety. Result: Of the total respondents, 43% were males and 57% females, mean age 30.2 years (SD=10.7, ranging from 15-80), 74.2% were married and 22.5% single. With regards to psychological pain and anxiety, 31.9% scored high in the PAS, indicating probable psychological pain while 25.8%, 19.4% and 54.8% were detected to suffer from mild, moderate and severe anxiety as detected by HARS. Conclusion: The finding from this study demonstrated that Nigerian dental patients also suffer from psychological pain and various degrees of dental anxiety. Therefore there is a need for Nigerian dental surgeons to acquire some knowledge of mental health in order to recognise these psychopathologies among their patients

Self-Reported Periodontal Disease and its Association with Dental Anxiety in Lagos, Nigeria

Objective: To determine the relationship between dental anxiety and self-reported periodontal status. Material and Methods: The study was conducted among 263 patients at the Family Medicine Clinic of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria. Self-assessed gingival and periodontal disease was measured using the validated periodontal disease self-report surveillance questionnaire. The Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) was used for evaluating dental anxiety. Student’s t-test was used to test for association between categorical variables. P-value < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: Seventy-seven (29.3%) participants had high dental anxiety, while 49 (18.6%) had very high dental anxiety. The prevalence of periodontal disease was higher among those with very high dental anxiety (77.6%), while female respondents had a significantly higher proportion of self-reported periodontitis (34.1%). There was a significantly higher prevalence of very high dental anxiety among respondents who had never visited the dentist (23.2%). Similarly, females (19.4%), middle-class respondents (30.8%), and those with a primary level of school education (23.5%) had a higher prevalence of high dental anxiety, even though the association was not significant. Conclusion: The prevalence of self-reported periodontal disease among the respondents with very high dental anxiety was higher than in those with high dental anxiety and those without dental anxiety, but the difference was not significant

Effect of an Antimalarial and a Micronutrient Supplementation on Respiration Induced Oxidative Stress

Abstract: This research was designed to access the effect of chloroquine a common antimalarial and ascorbic acid a popular antioxidant, on oxidative stress and liver function in animal models, with the aim of applying the research findings to the treatment of some devastating tropical diseases. A total of forty mice comprising of twenty males and females were divided into four groups per sex category and test drugs were administered intra peritoneally (ip) in mono and combined doses to healthy mice. Chloroquine treatment increased all oxidative stress indices with catalase being significant (P<0.05) against control. Significant increases (P<0.05) were also indicated in superoxide dismutase (SOD) and in catalase activities in both sexes. Ascorbic acid generally reduced all (P>0.05) assayed stress indices but the reduction was significant (P<0.05) only in female mice as against control. A combined treatment of chloroquine and ascorbic acid did not show any significant decrease and increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) and SOD, but catalase increased (P<0.05). Increases (P<0.05) were observed in SOD and catalase activities in both male and female mice. The activities of liver enzymes aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were determined and confirmed using gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) activity and increases (P<0.05) in the activity of this enzyme were observed in female mice given a combination treatment. This result indicates that ascorbic acid can ameliorate oxidative stress induced during normal aerobic metabolism in mice. Chloroquine and a combination of chloroquine and ascorbic acid treatment can adversely affect GGT in female mice. Key words: Antimalarial, micronutrient, oxidative stres

Effect of X-ray irradiation on growth physiology of Arachis Hypogaea (Var. Kampala)

Small doses of X-ray may stimulate cellular activities and growth while higher doses may cause higher aberrations. Seeds of Arachis hypogaea cv Kampala were exposed singly to X-ray radiations (6 mA-77 mA) X-ray significantly decreased seed germination above 6 mA, reduced root and shoot growth as X-ray exposure increased. X-ray radiation causes chromosomal aberration. Therefore, higher X-ray radiation affects the plant germination negatively by retarding the growth

Psychological distress and job involvement among dental surgeons in Lagos, Nigeria.

Objective: Studies on job involvement and mental health have mainly been carried out among Caucasian populations. Similar studies are lacking in Nigeria.This study was aimed at investigating psychological distress and job involvement among dental surgeons working in Lagos, Nigeria.  Method: Thirty-eight dental surgeons working at the two teaching hospitals in Lagos State, Nigeria were invited to participate in this study. The dental surgeons completed three selfadministered questionnaires, a questionnaire on demographics, Job Involvement th Inventory (JII) and the 12 version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12).Results: Among the dental surgeons surveyed, 18.42% had a GHQ score of 4 and above which indicated that they were at increased likelihood of having a psychological disorder. As regards job involvement, 66.67% of the dental surgeons scored high on the JII; this shows that the dental surgeons were poorly involved emotionally in their jobs.Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that dental surgeons working in Lagos State manifest with certain degrees of psychopathology and majority of them were poorly emotionally involved in their job. There is a need for dental surgeons to acquire management science training and stress management skills  Soenhance service delivery

The Knowledge and Participation of Physiotherapists From the Nigerian South-west Related to the Care and Management of Individuals With Sickle Cell Disease

Rehabilitative modalities such as incentive spirometry and physiotherapy interventions, e.g. aerobic exercises, have been shown to produce positive outcomes in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). Hemispheric CVA and other complications arising from SCD are amenable to physiotherapy. There have been few studies on the effectiveness of physiotherapy in the management of individuals with SCD. The present study attempts to assess the SCD-related knowledge, attitude and level of participation of physiotherapists in the Nigerian healthcare system. It also examines a possible association between the foregoing and practice settings. The study was carried out among physiotherapists in South-West Nigeria registered on professional e-platforms. The respondents filled in an adapted electronic version of a questionnaire. The IBM SPSS 20 was used for statistical analysis, and a chi-square test was used to determine an association between the levels of knowledge, practice settings, and participation among the respondents (p < 0.05). The study findings revealed that only 19% of respondents had received a specific training related to the care of SCD patients, although 65% had been involved in the treatment of at least one patient with SCD. Only 29.5% of respondents had “Good Knowledge” of SCD pathophysiology. A statistically significant association (χ2 = 75.357, p = 0.012) was found between respondents’ level of knowledge and their practice settings, i.e. a teaching hospital mostly. The physiotherapists from the Nigerian South-West,mostly those working in teaching hospitals, reported an average level of knowledge of SCD care. Since the management of sickle cell disease is of multidisciplinary character and requires an all hands-on deck approach, controlled trials should be undertaken by physiotherapy researchers regarding the effects of modalities and interventions on pro-inflammatory bio-molecules

Physiotherapists’ Knowledge, Attitude and Willingness to Care for Covid-19 Patients: a Nationwide Survey in Nigeria

Introduction: COVID-19 requires an all-inclusive task sharing/shifting approach by clinical professions in order to stem the tide of the pandemic. Physiotherapists have, therefore, potential for front line duties to COVID-19 patients as part of their traditional role in acute care for patients with respiratory complications. This study assessed the knowledge, attitude, and willingness of physiotherapists to care for patients with COVID-19 at the onset of the pandemic. Method: An electronic (WhatsApp) survey of 210 licenced physiotherapists was conducted from March 2020 to July 2020 using an adapted questionnaire from a previous validated tool. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: The physiotherapists displayed a high level of awareness (99.0%) about COVID-19, and the social media (96.2%), especially WhatsApp (74.8%), was the main source of information on COVID-19. 28.6% of the respondents had a sufficient level of knowledge of COVID-19. The knowledge about COVID-19 was significantly influenced by educational qualifications (p = 0.00). Also, 77.1%, 74.8% and 87.1% of the respondents werewilling to provide care for patients with COVID-19, be part of front-line care team, and care for COVID-19 survivors, respectively. Conclusion: Nigerian physiotherapists displayed an appreciable level of knowledge of COVID-19 at the onset of the pandemic. The surveyed physiotherapists were also willing to provide care for COVID-19 patients and survivors, as well as to be part of the COVID-19 front-line care team for

Assessment of Nigerian physiotherapy students’ knowledge, attitudes and awareness of physiotherapy roles in the prevention and management of Covid-19: a nationwide online survey

This cross-sectional study assessed Nigerian Physiotherapy students’ knowledge, attitudes and awareness of the roles of physiotherapy in the prevention and management of COVID-19.  Four hundred (400) Nigerian physiotherapy students responded to the survey via an electronic (WhatsApp) questionnaire. The survey revealed a high degree of COVID-19 awareness (98.3%) with the social media (83.3%), especially WhatsApp (70.8%), indicated as the. main source of information. 52% of the respondents exhibited a good level of knowledge of the virus, as well as anti-COVID-19 precautions and hygiene. The level of knowledge correlated with the participants’ ages; the final year (class v) had the highest knowledge score (40). While Nigerian physiotherapy students demonstrate a high level of awareness with regard to the virus and its transmission, the level of knowledge relating to physiotherapy roles in COVID-19 appears to be low