Prevalence of tobacco use among dental patients and their knowledge of its health effects

Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of tobacco use in dental patients, to compare the knowledge of the effects of tobacco in tobacco users and nonuser, to determine their source of information, and to obtain their opinion on strategies that may be used to reduce or stop tobacco consumption.Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey of 400 patients attending the University of Benin Teaching Hospital dental clinic for treatment was carried out using a self-administered questionnaire.Results: The result revealed that the prevalence of tobacco use is 4.25% and that tobacco was consumed in the form of cigarette in 94% of cases. Only a small percentage of the respondents (0.3%) had a poor knowledge of both the tobacco effect on general and oral health. Although 26.5% claimed to have multiple source of information on the effect of tobacco on health but the media was the highest single source (23.5%). Banning of sales of tobacco products was suggested by 30.5% of the respondents, 19.8% suggested that doctor should educate patients on the health effect of tobacco, and 17.8% feel that to discourage tobacco use, multiple strategies should be used.Conclusion: There is a need for health workers to lay more emphasis on the rare complications of tobacco use. The use of multiple regulatory strategies should be employed to reduce the overall adverse health impact of tobacco and the media can play a great role

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. Sevententh (71.9%) of the respondents brush their teeth twice daily and 52.1% brush for 3-5 minutes. About onethird (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.Keywords: toothbrushing; tongue cleaning; snacking behaviour; dental auxiliary students; Nigeri

Cigarette smoking, tooth brushing characteristics, and perceived efficacy in gingivodental health among undergraduates in a Nigerian University

This study was conducted among four hundred non-dental undergraduates of University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria to assess the prevalence of cigarette smoking, tooth brushing characteristics, perceived efficacy in oral self-care and preventing gingivodental diseases among them. The result showed that the perceived efficacy in oral self-care and preventing gingivodental diseases were 95.0% and 94.0% among the participants respectively. The prevalence of cigarette smoking and more than  once-daily tooth brushing were 5.0% and 46.2% among the participants respectively. Of the participants, 58.5% brush for .3 minutes, 73.0% use medium texture toothbrush and 83.0% give consideration to the texture while purchasing toothbrush. A total of 62.2% of the respondents have received professional instruction on tooth brushing. The use of chewing stick, toothpick and mouth wash among the respondents were 16.8%, 15.0% and 20.5% respectively. The prevalence of cigarette smoking was significantly associated with perceived efficacy in preventing gingivodental disease, self-reported pattern of brushing and the use of additional  cleaning agent among the participants. In conclusion, the perceived efficacy in oral self-care and preventing gingivodental diseases and, tooth brushing characteristics among undergraduates in Nigeria were good. Overall, the prevalence of cigarette smoking among the respondents was low but it was significantly associated with perceived efficacy in preventing gingivodental disease, self-reported pattern of brushing and the use of additional cleaning agent among the participants

Occupational exposure, willingness to care and misconception about hepatitis-B virus transmission among dental surgeons in Nigeria

Context: Hepatitis-B infection poses a significant threat to the health of dental surgeons and oral healthcare delivery worldwide.Aim/Objective: To assess occupational exposure, willingness to care and misconceptions about hepatitis-B virus (HBV) transmission among dental surgeons in Nigeria.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among randomly selected dental surgeons in Edo and Delta States of Nigeria. Questionnaire regarding demography, knowledge about the transmission of HBV, worry about contracting the infection, comfort level in having infected colleague, willingness to treat infected patients, glove use, needlestick and sharp injuries and post-exposure prophylaxis was the tool of data collection.Results: Misconceptions about the mode of transmission of HBV existed among the respondents and 86.0% of them used gloves regularly. Three-quarters (74.6%) and 80.7% of the respondents have received hepatitis-Bvaccine and expressed different level of worry about occupational HBV contraction respectively. The majority of the respondents expressed willingness to render emergency and routine dental care for hepatitis-B infected patients but 50.9% expressed comfort in having infected colleague. The prevalence of needlestick and sharp injuries and post-exposure prophylaxis in event of injury among the respondents were high and low respectively. The vaccinated respondents expressed more willingness to treat hepatitis-B patients, better comfort level having infected colleagues and lesser worry about occupational contraction of hepatitis-B infection than the unvaccinated respondents. Vaccinated respondents were also more likely to be regular glove users, experience needlestick and sharps injury and seek post-exposure prophylaxis.Conclusion: Misconceptions about the mode of transmission of HBV existed among the respondents. Occupational exposure, willingness to care and worry about occupational (HBV) contraction among therespondents were high but had non significant association with hepatitis-B vaccination status.Key words: Occupational exposure, willingness, hepatitis-B, dental surgeon

Perceived oral health status and treatment needs of dental auxiliaries

Objective: To determine the perceived oral health status and treatment needs of Nigerian dental therapists in students from Federal School of Dental Therapy and Technology Enugu, Nigeria was conducted using self-administered questionnaire to obtain information on demography, self-reported oral health status, knowledge of impact of oral health on daily life activity, dental attendance and perceived dental need. Results: The perception of oral health status and treatment need of the two groups of dental auxiliaries was the same. Fewer respondents (27.3%) rated their oral health as excellent, while 50.4% rated their oral health as good. Majority (95.5%) agreed that oral health is a part of general health and 94.6% agreed that oral health has a role in daily life. Out of 81.4% that had previous dental treatment, scaling and polishing accounted for 66.1%. Presently, 48.8% think they need dental treatment ranging from scaling and polishing (33.9%), tooth restoration (10.3%), to extraction (1.2%). Conclusion: This survey revealed that most of the students are aware that oral health is a component of general health and that it has an impact on an individual’s daily life. More than half of the students perceived their oral health as good, but only a few knew that there is a need for a preventive approach to oral health as evident by the percentage that perceived scaling and polishing as a treatment need.Keywords: oral health; status; dental auxiliarie