Taurodontism in association with the cusp of carabelli: a report of 2 cases

Taurodontism is a malformation of multirooted teeth characterized by abnormally large pulp chamber and abnormally short roots. It is diagnosed by the use of radiographs. The cusp of Carabelli is a morphological anomaly of the crown usually seen clinically on the mesiopalatal surface of the maxillary first permanent molars. The aetiology of both anomalies is not entirely clear, however, both genetic and exogenous factors have been proposed. There are recent reports that mutation of some chromosomes could be a cause of taurodontism. Taurodontism has been reported along with talon cusp, dens evaginatus and some Syndromes. This paper presents an unusual occurrence of taurodontism in association with the cusp of Carabelli in a 15 year-old girl presenting with a toothache of 4 months duration and her 46 year-old mother. All the second permanent molars were taurodont. Other siblings investigated had cusps of Carabelli but no taurodont tooth. There was no associated syndrome in both mother and child. Root canal treatment of the pulpally involved taurodont mandibular left permanent second molar of the 15 year-old was carried out. Appropriate restorations were placed on all other carious molars. Her mother had no carious tooth. Taurodontism may present as pain when the affected tooth is carious or as a chance radiographic finding as it is the case in the mother. Preventive restorations of taurodont teeth is ideal treatment when detected early. The anthropological and clinical significance of the cusp of Carabelli is highlighted. The association of these two dental anomalies needs further investigation

Managing oral bleeding in children with hereditary bleeding disorders: case series and a review of literature

Bleeding disorders are mostly of genetic or hereditary origin in children. Dental consultations sought by patients with bleeding disorders may follow trauma, dental infections or may be insidious. The present report is on five cases managed at the Paedodontic unit of the Child Dental Health Clinic of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. The report gives a review of some of the challenges faced in the dental management of patients with hereditary bleeding disorders and the treatment options for the different oral presentations. Four of these patients had haemophilia A and the other had von Williebrand disease. All the patients presented with bleeding gingivae secondary to either physiologic processes of eruption, infective or traumatic dental conditions. The management of the patients was comprehensive with a multidisciplinary approach. The prevention of traumatic and infective dental conditions is an important part of oral health care in individuals with hereditary bleeding disorders. This would reduce the need for treatment and should reduce the number of emergency visits

Harnessing the potential of African youth for transforming health research in Africa

Africa faces a significant burden of infectious diseases, including Malaria and HIV/AIDS, along with an increasing prevalence of non-infectious diseases such as diabetes and cancer. This dual health challenge is amplified by socioeconomic difficulties, restricted access to healthcare, and lifestyle changes, thus present unique scientific needs. Effectively addressing these issues requires a skilled scientific workforce adept in comprehensive healthcare strategies. This analysis explores the critical landscape of health research in Africa, emphasizing the unique opportunity presented by the continent’s youthful population, projected to reach almost 1 billion by 2050. The youth’s innovative potential and fresh perspectives offer a chance to overcome development barriers in health research. Nevertheless, challenges such as under-resourced education, limited research training, inadequate mentorship, and funding difficulties persist. This paper urgently calls upon African leaders, international partners, and stakeholders to prioritize health research, mobilize funding, forge strategic partnerships, and empower the youth as essential steps to capitalize on the continent’s dynamic youth for breakthrough health outcomes. Such investments are vital not just for health but for the overall economic, social, and strategic growth of the continent. Through shared responsibility and a united effort, the potential of African youth can be harnessed, leading to transformative research, improved health outcomes, and a prosperous future. This perspective represents the collective voice of passionate young researchers and advocates across Africa, calling for a new era of health research on the continent

An Evaluation of the Impact of Nigeria’s Trade and Investment Policy Reforms

Current efforts at reforming Nigeria’s economy cover all known approaches to trade and investment reforms. At unilateral level the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) forms was adopted. Bilateral efforts manifests in the increasing number of bilateral investment treaties and bilateral trade agreements in the recent years. Efforts at regional level include intra-regional efforts under the auspices of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and extra-regional efforts as exemplified by the on-going negotiations of an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between West African countries and the European Union (EU). Multilateral efforts are not lacking as Nigeria is actively engaged in the negotiations of Doha Development Round (DDR) of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Efforts at liberalizing trade and investment regimes in the country are not new as the country attempted structural adjustment programme (SAP) was pivoted on trade, exchange rate and investment reforms, perhaps the dimension and the speed at which the current efforts are being conducted are the new elements in the current wave of trade and investment reforms. Against the background of various attempts at liberalizing trade and investment policy regimes in Nigeria since the mid-1980s and the current efforts at negotiating and/or designing new trade and investment policy at unilateral, bilateral, regional and multilateral levels this paper presents an evaluation of past efforts with a view to informing the current efforts. Trade and investment theories and the linkages between them provides evidence on potential impacts of reforms on economic growth and performances; lessons from the design, implementation, expectation and effects of the past reforms provided rich information on the limit to realizing these potential effects. Notwithstanding that the nature and form of agreements are currently under negotiations, different estimates of possible impacts of these agreements have pointed to opportunities and challenges. The emerging trend points to a relatively fixed costs of reforms that are invariant to approach (unilateral, bilateral, regional and multilateral) to trade and investment reforms. However, the benefits appear to be dependent on the approach with multilateral promising the greatest benefits of all. More importantly the realization of the benefits not automatic and it may not even be realized at all if the reforms are truncated. There is, therefore, the need to manage the trade and investment reforms in order to optimize the potential benefits. The paper suggested some practical steps forward in guiding commitments to be made at the different levels of negotiations which include (1) tying the rate (depth, height and width) of reforms to be committed to progress made at addressing supply response constraints. (2) Given the diverse interest of stakeholders and the country in general, there is a greater role for external agent of restraint hence unilateral trade and investment reforms may not offer the best option. However, for other approaches to be optimally beneficial to the country there is the need for mainstreaming trade in the adopted development strategies and also for prioritizing issues at regional as well as at multilateral level. (3) There is a greater need in Nigeria for coordinating and harmonizing institutions and policies for improved performance of the economy. For instance, trade and investment policy reforms process needs to balance interests of stakeholders at both the design and implementation stages. The realization of optimum benefits from trade and investment reforms is contingent on complementary policies that among other things guarantee macroeconomic stability, a necessary and almost sufficient condition for sustainable pro-poor growth that is the long-term goal of the Nigerian economy