Prevalence Of Molar Incisor Hypomineralisation In Six To Eight Year-Olds In Two Rural Divisions In Kenya

Objective: To determine the prevalence of molar incisor hypomineralization (MIH) and any associated causes of MIH in children from two rural divisions in Kenya. Design: Prospective cross-sectional study. Setting: Seventeen primary schools in Matungulu and Kangundo divisions of Machakos district in Kenya. Subjects: All six to eight year-olds in the seventeen primary schools. Results: A total of 3,591 children (55.6% males and 44.4% females) were examined for MIH. All the children were from a low socio-economic community with little access to proper medical/dental health care. The prevalence of MIH was 13.73%, with a female to male ratio of 3:1. Conclusion: The prevalence of MIH of 13.73% was high in the study population and was probably associated with the poor health conditions that the children went through during the most venerable period of between birth and age three years. East African Medical Journal Vol. 85 (10) 2008: pp. 514-52

Dilemma of managing multi-surface dental caries in the primary dentition using the atraumatic restorative treatment: Renaissance or dimming hope

Background: A lot of research work has been carried out to determine the effectiveness of using atraumatic restorative treatment (ART ) in the management of dental caries, but there are still unresolved issues surrounding the use of the technique particularly in very large carious lesions.Objective: To determine the current survival rates of multi-surface ART restorations placed in the primary dentition and any consequences to the restored tooth after premature loss of the restoration.Study selection: Using a set of specific key words, a Pubmed/Medline search was carried out to retrieve all publications on ART restorations placed in primary teeth in the period January 2000 to December 2011. Only publications whose studies had multi-surface ART restorations as an item of study were retrieved and relevant data extracted.Data synthesis: Twelve studies contained in 12 publications fulfilled the selection criteria and were included in the study. The selected publications were analysed by the author to establish the study follow-up period and the survival rate of the multi-surface ART restorations for the different follow-up periods. Further information was adduced on any other effects of restoration on the tooth after premature loss of the restoration.Results: The search findings indicated that the survival rate for most of the multi-surface restorations were generally very low. Further, there were indications that even after the premature loss of the ART restorations, most of the affected teeth survived for the period of the study with a number of them having shown no signs of secondary caries or associated dental abscessees.Conclusion: While the survival rates of multi-surface ART restorations in the studies documented in the review were low, the ART restorations appeared to provide some beneficial effects to the retention-longevity of the restored tooth even after their premature loss

Exploring the intricacies of contemporary Phd research process

The process leading to a PhD degree award has evolved over a period of many years to become what it is today. There are important considerations and emphasis continually being placed by the degree awarding authorities on the PhD research process leading to this award. The authors of this communication wish to highlight some of the basic knowledge and current ingredients needed in articulating and writing of a research proposal for a good thesis that forms a major part of this award. Specifically, the communication provides an appraisal of the existing proposal writing knowledge, available research opportunities and suggestions on the improvement and mastery of good research proposal writing that would result in a good PhD thesis

PhD thesis defense

A thesis oral defence is the culmination of research enquiryon a specific subject or project. The defence provides an opportunity for presentation and sustained argument in support of the findings. This is preceded by examination of the thesis by indipendent nominated examiners who do not communicate on the work as they grade the thesis. The examiners look for soundness of the methodology applied in research, its originality creativity, innovativeness, mpact to the fieldof the study and finally its suitability for the degree award. This presentation examines the completion process that culminates in the defence, in camera or in public, to a panel of examinerschosen by the university. The defence provides an opportunityfor final improvement of the thesiswith the candidate demonstratingthe understanding of the topic of research, the contribution of the research work to knowledge, whereas the panelof examinersenrich the final document by offering their indipendent expert opinion on the enquiry and to finally provide swift and just judgement of the work. Sectioins of methodology, findings and the critical approach used by the candidate in relating the findings to existing knowledge in the field of study, ditermine the quality of the work. Conclusions should show the significance and impact of the research product that also support applicable recommendations

Hereditary gingival fibromatosis: report of family case series

Hereditary gingival hyperplasia (HGF) is a rare condition characterised by hyperplastic, dense fibrous connective tissue with acanthotic gingival epithelium. A family presented at the School of Dental Sciences, University of Nairobi with a complaint that some of the children developed swollen gums very early in life and that this got worse with eruption of the permanent teeth. The first born, a 23- year- old male, had had the swellings for over ten years. Other siblings aged 5,9 and 12 years were also affected. The swellings had affected the appearance, speech and the psychosocial wellbeing of the children. The parents were unaffected with apparently negative family histories. Following oral examination and appropriate investigations, conventional gingivectomy was performed of the maxillary and the mandibular gingivae for the siblings: the 23 -12- and the nine- year olds. The fourth affected child, a five- year- old, was still in primary dentition and had just started showing mild signs of gingival hyperplasia. The histopathological examination of the specimens from the present cases confirmed features consistent with those of HGF. This article highlights a familial presentation of HGF

Two-year survival of glass ionomer sealants placed as part of proximal atraumatic restorative treatment restorations

Objective: To evaluate after two years, the survival rate of glass ionomer cement (GIC) sealants placed in primary molars of six to eight year-olds and as part of proximal atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) restoration.Design: A longitudinal clinical study.Setting: Matungulu/Kangundo rural divisions, Machakos district, Kenya.Subject: A total of 804 six to eight year-olds from rural Kenya received a sealant as part of a proximal restoration placed in a primary molar using the atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) approach.Results: The two-year cumulative survival of the sealants was 10.9%, and the survival of the sealants was not significantly affected by the GIC material brand and the toothisolation method used. However, slightly more sealants survived when Fuji IX and rubber dam tooth- isolation method were used.Conclusion: The two-year survival rate of the sealants was poor and was not significantly influenced by the GIC material or the tooth-isolation method used

Knowledge of dental academics about the COVID-19 pandemic: a multi-country online survey.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 is a global pandemic affecting all aspects of life in all countries. We assessed COVID-19 knowledge and associated factors among dental academics in 26 countries. METHODS: We invited dental academics to participate in a cross-sectional, multi-country, online survey from March to April 2020. The survey collected data on knowledge of COVID-19 regarding the mode of transmission, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, protection, and dental treatment precautions as well as participants' background variables. Multilevel linear models were used to assess the association between dental academics' knowledge of COVID-19 and individual level (personal and professional) and country-level (number of COVID-19 cases/ million population) factors accounting for random variation among countries. RESULTS: Two thousand forty-five academics participated in the survey (response rate 14.3%, with 54.7% female and 67% younger than 46 years of age). The mean (SD) knowledge percent score was 73.2 (11.2) %, and the score of knowledge of symptoms was significantly lower than the score of knowledge of diagnostic methods (53.1 and 85.4%, P <  0.0001). Knowledge score was significantly higher among those living with a partner/spouse than among those living alone (regression coefficient (B) = 0.48); higher among those with PhD degrees than among those with Bachelor of Dental Science degrees (B = 0.48); higher among those seeing 21 to 30 patients daily than among those seeing no patients (B = 0.65); and higher among those from countries with a higher number of COVID-19 cases/million population (B = 0.0007). CONCLUSIONS: Dental academics had poorer knowledge of COVID-19 symptoms than of COVID-19 diagnostic methods. Living arrangements, academic degrees, patient load, and magnitude of the epidemic in the country were associated with COVD-19 knowledge among dental academics. Training of dental academics on COVID-19 can be designed using these findings to recruit those with the greatest need

Survival of atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) sealants and restorations: a meta-analysis

The purpose of this study is to perform a systematic investigation plus meta-analysis into survival of atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) sealants and restorations using high-viscosity glass ionomers and to compare the results with those from the 2005 ART meta-analysis. Until February 2010, four databases were searched. Two hundred four publications were found, and 66 reported on ART restorations or sealant survival. Based on five exclusion criteria, two independent reviewers selected the 29 publications that accounted for the meta-analysis. Confidence intervals (CI) and or standard errors were calculated and the heterogeneity variance of the survival rates was estimated. Location (school/clinic) was an independent variable. The survival rates of single-surface and multiple-surface ART restorations in primary teeth over the first 2 years were 93% (CI, 91–94%) and 62% (CI, 51–73%), respectively; for single-surface ART restorations in permanent teeth over the first 3 and 5 years it was 85% (CI, 77–91%) and 80% (CI, 76–83%), respectively and for multiple-surface ART restorations in permanent teeth over 1 year it was 86% (CI, 59–98%). The mean annual dentine lesion incidence rate, in pits and fissures previously sealed using ART, over the first 3 years was 1%. No location effect and no differences between the 2005 and 2010 survival rates of ART restorations and sealants were observed. The short-term survival rates of single-surface ART restorations in primary and permanent teeth, and the caries-preventive effect of ART sealants were high. Clinical relevance: ART can safely be used in single-surface cavities in both primary and permanent teeth. ART sealants have a high caries preventive effect