Dental caries and extractions of permanent teeth in Jos, Nigeria

Objective: To determine the effect of tooth morphology and positioning on the occurrence of dental caries in permanent teeth. Design: Retrospective study. Method: Data was extracted from the case notes of patients that underwent extraction at the Plateau State Dental Centre, Jos, Nigeria from January 2000 to December 2001, as a result of dental caries and its sequalae. Result: 12696 patients attended the clinic, with a total of 11546-teeth extracted. 6145 (53.2%) permanent teeth were extracted due to caries and it's sequalae within the period under review. The upper anteriors accounted for 3.2%, pre-molars 7.7% and molars 29.8% while lower anteriors accounted for 0.4%, pre-molars 3.3% and molars 55.6%. The upper anteriors were eight times more vulnerable to caries attack compared to their corresponding lower anteriors. The upper right (43.3%) and left (36.9%) first premolars were four times prone to losses due to caries compared to their corresponding lower right (11.5%) and left (8.3%) first premolars. Similar pattern was observed for the upper and lower second premolar (P = 0.001). The lower right (31.3%) and left (31.3%) first molar were about two times more susceptible to caries than their corresponding upper right (18.2%) and left (19.2%) first molar. The same trend holds for the second and third molars (P = 0.000). Conclusion: The result of this study revealed that the upper premolars were more susceptible to dental caries than the corresponding lower teeth. The study also revealed that the molars were most susceptible to dental caries and would benefit from the use of prophylactic pits and fissure sealants. Key Words: Tooth morphology; extraction; fissure sealant; caries African Journal of Oral Health Vol.1(1) 2004: 31-3

Utilization of oral health services by mothers of preschool children in Jos North Local Government Area, Plateau State, Nigeria

Objective: To determine oral health services utilization by mothers of pre school children in Jos North Local Government Area, Plateau State, Nigeria Design: Cross-sectional study Setting: Four Primary Health Care (PHC) Clinics in Jos North Local Government Area Participants: 200 mothers of pre school children Materials and Methods: Mothers of pre school children were. proportionately sampled in four randomly selected clinics. Structured questionnaires were administered to them in order to obtain information on the utilization of oral health services, their reasons for visitation and non visitation Results: Twelve and half percent (12.5 %) of the mothers reported to have visited the dentist before while only 4.5 % of the children of mother\'s surveyed had been taken to the dentist at least once. Literate mothers visited the dentist more compared to the illiterate mothers. All the illiterate mothers visited the dentist when there was a dental problem. All the mothers who were aged less than 20 years and their children had never visited a dentist. Cumulatively, 94 % of the mothers gave lack of perceived need as their reason for non utilization of dental services. Conclusion: The study showed that majority of mothers based their dental visits on presence of a dental problem and perceived need. Further studies are needed on oral health services utilization to better understand the role of socio-cultural barriers. Malawi Medical Journal Vol.16(2) 2005: 33-3

Pattern of oral cancers in the North Central zone of Nigeria

Objective: To document the pattern of oral cancers (ICD-O: C00-C06) diagnosed histologically at the Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos between January 1987 and December 2002. Methods: Information on socio-demographic characteristics of patients and details of cancer occurrence and management were retrieved from the files and histopathology records of patients seen at the hospitals. Results: A total of 54 cases of oral cancers were reported, with a M-F ratio of 2.4:1 and with childhood cancers constituting 5.7%. There was a higher occurrence of oral cancers in patients aged 40 years and below, relative to reported findings in developed countries (

Prevalence of HIV-related oral lesions in Nigerian women

No Abstract. Nigerian Journal of Medicine Vol. 14(2) 2005: 132-13

Oral health awareness in HIV positive Nigerian adults

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the awareness of a group of HIV-positive Nigerian adults on their oral health status. Study Design: Cross-sectional study using questionnaires and subsequent oral examinations. Results: 477 patients were examined. The age range was 16 80 years (Mean = 35 ± 9). 56.4% were females. 338 (70.8%) had post primary education. A total of 203 (42.6%) presented with oral lesions attributable to HIV/AIDS. Though 151 (31.7%) patients claimed to have noticed some abnormalities in their mouths, 101 (66.9%) actually presented with lesions associated with HIV. Clinically detectable oral lesions were also noticed in 102 (31.3%) of 326 patients who reportedly experienced no problem with their oral health out of which 17 of them had multiple lesions. Lesions commonly noticed includes; Candidiasis, Xerostomia, Herpes Stomatitis and Aphthous Ulcerations. Patient's educational level did not affect their ability to detect a change in their mouths (X2=2.932, p=0.402).Conclusion: The awareness of HIV-positive patients to their oral health is poor. As oral manifestations of HIV/AIDS could be the first sign of infestation, the general public should be encouraged to observe routine dental visits. Keywords: oral health, HIV/AIDS, Nigerian Nigerian Journal of Health and Biomedical Sciences Vol. 5(1) 2006: 7-1

Geographical mapping of fluoride levels in drinking water sources in Nigeria

Background: Knowledge of fluoride levels in drinking water is of importance in dental public health, yet this information is lacking, at national level, in Nigeria. Objective: To map out fluoride levels in drinking water sources in Nigeria. Materials and Methods: Fluoride levels in drinking water sources from 109 randomly selected Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the 6 Nigerian geopolitical zones were determined. From the results, maps showing LGAs with fluoride concentrations exceeding 0.3 ppm, were drawn. ANOVA and t- test were used to determine the significance of the differences between the fluoride levels in the drinking water sources. Results: Fluoride levels were low in most parts of the country, being 0.3 ppm or less in 62% of the LGAs. Fluoride concentrations were generally higher in North Central geopolitical zone, than the other zones in the country (p<0.05). In a few drinking water sources, fluoride concentrations exceeded 1.5 ppm, but was as high as 6.7 ppm in one well. Only 9% of the water sources were from waterworks. Conclusion: Most of the water sources in Nigeria contained low fluoride levels; but few had excessive concentrations and need to be partially defluoridated, or else alternative sources of drinking water provided for the community