Pattern of juvenile periodontitis in Lagos University Teaching Hospital Dental Centre

Objective: The aim of the survey was to study the pattern of juvenile periodontitis patients that presented at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital Dental Centre from November 1999 to March 2004. Methods: Through review of case files of patients, twenty six juvenile periodontitis patients, within the age range of 18 and 30 years were identified and their dental records reviewed. Results: There were 11 males and 15 females, giving a male female ratio of 0.73:1. Overall, the maxillary and mandibular incisors were the most missing tooth type (47.54%), particularly in the 20 - 24 year age group. Comparatively, more incisors were missing in females compared to males. Conversely, tooth mobility was more common in males; 60% of severely mobile teeth were seen in males. These patients were found to have poor facial aesthetics. Conclusion: Given the late presentation of juvenile periodontitis found in the study, it is recommended that check-ups of patients at the dental clinics for early diagnosis of juvenile periodontitis and regular check-ups to prevent the rapid progression of this condition in juveniles should beKeywors: juvenile, periodontitis, Lagos University Teaching HospitalJournal of Community Medicine and Primary Health Care 2005, 17(1): 51-5

Diagnostic and treatment dilemma of gingival enlargement: a report of 3 cases

Gingival enlargement is a common feature of periodontal disease which is occasionally associated with medication use for systemic conditions such as hypertension and epilepsy. However, other local and systemic factors have been implicated in the aetiopathogenesis of this condition which could pose diagnostic and therapeutic challenge for clinicians. This paper presents the management of three cases of gingival enlargement recently seen at the Dental Centre of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos. The association of unusual secondary aetiological factors is emphasized.Key words: Gingival Enlargement, Diagnosis, Treatmen

Could Periodontitis Affect Time to Conception?

Background: Chronic periodontitis is gaining increasing prominence as a potential influnce on systemic health. Time to conception has been recently investigated in relation to chronic periodontitis among Caucasians. The authors set out to replicate the study among Nigerian pregnant women. Aim: The etiology of many medical conditions have been linked with the state of the oral health and one of such is the time to conception (TTC)among women. This study was aimed to assess the effect of periodontitis on TTC.Subjects and Methods: A cross.sectional study in a hospital setting involving 58 fertility clinic attendees and 70 pregnant controls using the simplified oral hygiene index, community periodontal index (CPI) and matrix metalloproteinase.8 immunoassay. Statistical analysis used included Spearmanfs rank order correlation statistic, Z.statistic and logistic regression.Results: Good oral hygiene correlated with shorter TTC (<1 year) than fair oral hygiene, but not statistically significant. The odds of increased conception were higher with CPI (odds ratio [OR]: 0.482, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.259.0.895, P = 0.02), periodontitis risk (OR 0.157, 95% CI 0.041.0.600, P < 0.01) and age (OR 0.842, 95% CI 0.756.0.938, P < 0.01). Conclusion: Chronic periodontitis was positively associated with increased TTC in the present study. The authors are recommending that women in child bearing age should be encouraged to have regular preventive dental check.ups in order to maintain good oral and periodontal health.Keywords: Fertility, Oral hygiene, Periodontitis, Time to conceptio

Tooth brushing, tongue cleaning and snacking behaviour of dental technology and therapist students

Objective: To determine the tooth brushing, tongue cleaning and snacking behaviour of dental technology and therapist students. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study of students of Federal School of Dental Therapy and Technology Enugu, Nigeria. Self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on demography, frequency, duration and technique of tooth brushing and tongue cleaning as well as information on consumption of snacks. Results: A total of 242 students responded. Dental technology students made up 52.5% of the respondents and dental therapist in training made up 47.5%. Majority (63.2%) of the respondents considered the strength of tooth brush when purchasing a tooth brush and 78.9% use tooth brushes with medium strength. Seven-tenth (71.9%) of the respondents brush their teeth twice daily and 52.1% brush for 3–5 minutes. About one-third (30.2%) brush their teeth in front of a mirror. Chewing stick was used by 51.7% of respondents in addition to the use of tooth brush. Tongue cleaning was done by 94.2% with only 9.5% using a tongue cleaner. Only 20.2% reported regular snacks consumption. Nine-tenth (90.4%) of respondents were previously involved in educating others, apart from their colleagues, on tooth brushing. Conclusion: This survey revealed that most of the dental therapy and technology students had satisfactory tooth-brushing behaviour. The zeal to educate others about proper tooth brushing revealed in this study suggests that the students may be helpful in oral health promotion

Primary oral preventive practices: knowledge and practice among College of Medicine University of Lagos students

This was a prospective study to assess the primary oral preventive practices of 200 students attending the College of Medicine of the University of Lagos. This was assessed using a structure self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed to elicit information on knowledge of oral health preventive practices, their beliefs and oral hygiene practice. Two hundred students submitted properly filled questionnaire. Only 35% brushed their teeth twice daily. Interdental cleaning was highly deficient with only 19% performing this procedure. The dental visiting patterns in this group was much better as compared to other Nigerian groups. History of dental visit was significantly associated with a higher perception of treatment need (p-0.03). Level of knowledge of common oral diseases such as periodontal disease was unsatisfactory among this group of students. It is recommended that there should be more emphasis on the teaching of oral disease prevention in the medical curricular.Keywords: primary oral preventive practices, medical students Nigerian Journal of Health and Biomedical Sciences Vol. 4(2) 2005: 130-13

Psychosocial and Behavioural Factors Associated with STD/AIDS among Dental Students in Lagos Nigeria

Background: Sexually transmitted infection (STI) including the Human immune deficiency Virus infection (HIV) cause great morbidity among young adults in Africa. Aim: The study aimed to identify psychosocial and behavioural factors associated with Sexually transmitted infection (STI) including the Human immune deficiency Virus infection (HIV) risk among dental students in the clinical years of the Faculty of Dental Sciences at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Lagos Nigeria. Methods: A convenience sample was selected from 92 enrolled dental students in the clinical years with 61(66%) returning fully filled questionnaires. A standard youth survey developed by FOCUS was used to collect data. Categories considered included sociodemographic factors, knowledge of HIV/AIDS prevention, sexual practice and self-efficacy. Results: Majority of respondents seen were females (59%). All respondents were religious with the majority (67%) being Christians . There was a fair to high knowledge of STI/HIV/AIDS prevention among this group, with about 50% apparently understanding what safe sex means and over 80% reporting correct knowledge of prevention of HIV/ AIDS. Possible risk factors in this group were low numbers presenting for voluntary testing, fair use of condoms and not listening to the University radio station. Low risk factors were high knowledge of prevention, high level of education, highly educated parents, high income earning parents, involvement with extracurricular activity e.g. sports, drama etc, abstinence and avoidance of multiple partners. Conclusion: There is a need for consideration of psychosocial factors apart from biological factors in health promotion programmes for these groups. These is also a need to prepare them for professional activities in counselling younger groups and fellow non-medical peers as well as protecting themselves from HIV/AID

Access to and use of computers among clinical dental students of the University of Lagos.

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Internet access and use among Nigerian dental students

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine access to internet /e-mail and its usage among Nigerian clinical dental students in year 4 to year 6. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study involving clinical dental students in year 4 to year 6 of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos. Information obtained from the students include demographic data, access to computers, access to the internet, internet usage, attitude to internet as a supplemental resource in dental education. Result: Only 35% of the students in this study owned a personal computer presently. Other sources of computer access were at home (35.6%), roommates (21.8%), dental school/college library (7.9%) . Only 35.6% of the respondents had access to the internet at home, with majority (60.4%) accessing it from cyber cafés. Twenty-five per cent used the internet more than once a week while 43.4% accessed it only once a week. Nearly 30% rarely accessed the internet. Eighty-eight per cent used the internet for sending e-mails while only 38% used this facility for literature search(i.e. academic purposes). Students in higher levels of study significantly used the internet often especially for literature search (p< 0.05). Nearly all students (95%) possessed e-mail addresses though only 26% accessed it more than once a week. About 90% would like the internet used as a supplement in dental education. Conclusion: There is a need to improve internet usage for academic purposes for our students .The availability of computers and unhindered access to the internet by clinical students in Nigeria would be beneficial to update their knowledge and share experiences with their global peers. Keywords: Internet access, Nigerian dental students.Nigerian Dental Journal Vol. 15 (2) 2007: pp. 94-9

Pattern of Periodontal Treatments Performed at the Periodontology Clinic of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital: 22 Months Review.

Background: A critical evaluation of the pattern of periodontal procedures performed is important in providing useful data to the administrator for proper planning and budgeting for dental health service.Objective: To assess the pattern of periodontal treatments performed over a given period of time at the Periodontology clinic of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria.Methods: This was a twenty two months retrospective study of all periodontal procedures performed on patients seen at the periodontology clinic of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital between January 2006 and October 2007. The periodontology treatment record was used to retrieve information which included the patient's age, gender, diagnosis and periodontal procedures given. The procedures were further categorized into surgical and nonsurgical groups. The information obtained was then analyzed using Epi Info 2007 statistical software.Results: A total of 1,938 patients were seen during this period. Females were 1009 (52.1%) and males were 929 (47.9%). (F/M, 1.1:1). A total of 2,110 periodontal treatments were performed. Majority of the patients received non-surgical periodontal therapy which constituted the bulk (96.3%) of the therapies. Scaling and polishing was the most frequently performed non-surgical procedure accounting for 1261 (62.1%) with slightly more males receiving the treatment. Of the surgical treatment modalities, operculectomy accounted for 65.4% and was carried out on more females than males. Regenerative procedures were the least performed surgical treatments.Conclusion: This study highlighted that non-surgical periodontal therapy, particularly scaling and polishing was the most frequently utilized periodontal procedure. Operculectomy was the predominant surgical procedure performed. The low percentage of regenerative surgical procedures was however below the desired expectation.Keywords: Pattern, Periodontal treatments, Non-surgical

Relationship of oral hygiene status and practices with oral lesions in a group of HIV positive patients in Lagos, Nigeria

Objective: The oral health of HIV positive patients may be compromised because of their depressed immunity and may increase their risk of developing some oral lesions. This study was carried out to assess the relationship of the oral hygiene status and practices with oral lesions in HIV positive patients at a dedicated HIV clinic in Nigeria. Method: A cross sectional study of adult HIV positive patients aged 18 years and above at the HIV outpatient clinic of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. Data on age, gender, marital status, level of education and oral hygiene practices were collected. Their CD4 counts were recorded. Oral examination was carried out on all patients to assess their oral hygiene status using the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index. Oral lesions were recorded when present. Result: A total of 134 HIV positive patients were seen, most (71.6%) of whom had never visited a dentist. The mean oral hygiene index (OHI-S) score of the patients was 1.85 and 55.2% had a fair oral hygiene status. The majority (77.6%) cleaned their teeth once daily. Oral candidiasis and linear gingival erythema (LGE) were the two most prevalent oral lesions being 26.1% and 11.2% respectively. The mean oral hygiene index (OHI-S) score was higher in males [2.10] compared with females [1.71] (p&lt;0.05), in patients who had never visited the dentist [1.99] compared with those who had visited the dentist previously [1.49] (p&lt;0.05) and in patients with linear gingival erythema compared with those without the lesion (p&lt; 0.05).The CD4 + Tlymphocyte count was not associated with the OHI-S (p&gt;0.05). Conclusion: Poorer oral hygiene was significantly associated with male gender, no previous dental visits and linear gingival erythema lesions in the HIV positive patients in this study. Regular oral health education programmes should be incorporated into the treatment protocol of HIV positive patients at the HIV clinic to improve their overall health status.Keywords: Oral hygiene, linear gingival erythema, HIV, NigeriaNig Dent J Vol 20 No. 1 Jan - June 201