Age-Related Pattern of Dental Trauma in a Nigerian Tertiary Health Institution

Objective: To evaluate the pattern of traumatic dental injuries among children, adolescents, and adults. Material and Methods: This was a cross-sectional analytic study of children and adults who presented with dental trauma. Data utilized for this study were sociodemographic characteristics, history of the traumatic incident, presenting complaints, traumatized teeth and classification of the traumatized tissues using Ellis and Davey’s classification. Results: A total of 163 participants with 307 traumatized teeth were included in the study. The participants' age ranged from 2 years to 75 years, with a mean age of 25.36 ±15.4 years. Children <10 years were the least represented (14.7%), adolescents 10-19 years accounted for 23.9%., young adults 20 to 40 years were the most represented (44.8%) and older adults >40 years (16.6%). A higher proportion of the study participants were female 83 (50.9%) and the most prevalent complaint was broken teeth (57.1%) The most prevalent aetiology of the trauma documented was fall (36.2%). The most prevalent injury type was extended crown fracture with noticeable dentinal involvement without pulp exposure. There was a statistically significant association between injury type, aetiology and age group. Conclusion: Traumatic dental injuries affect children, adolescents and adults alike. The central incisors were the most vulnerable teeth across all age groups. Age was significantly associated with the etiology of dental trauma and injury type

Pre-service medical education course completion and drop-out rates

Abstract Introduction The “Global strategy on human resources for health: Workforce 2030” was adopted by the 69th World Health Assembly. Among its objectives is the strengthening of data on human resources for health, to inform evidence-based policy decisions. These data include the course completion and drop-out rates, to inform mechanisms that support recruitment and retention. Objective This paper sought to evaluate trends in course completion and drop-out rates of health workforce students. However, original data were only obtained for pre-service medical students, but no other health worker occupational groups. Methods A mixed method approach was employed to obtain data presented in this paper. A structured questionnaire was sent out to targeted medical training institutions, regulatory bodies, and National Medical Associations, supplemented by a web and literature search for existing studies or data reports. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 21.0 (Chicago, IL, USA) and Microsoft Excel 2010. Results Eight previously published studies were identified originating from six countries, with course completion rates ranging from 84% in Pakistan to 98.6% in the United States of America, while the drop-out rates ranged from 1.4% in the United States of America to 16% in Pakistan. An analysis of pre-service medical students in Australia and New Zealand, revealed average course completion rates of 93.3% and 96.9%, respectively, and average drop-out rates of 6.7% and 3.1%, respectively. An analysis of pre-service medical students from Nigeria, revealed an average course completion rate of 88.3%, and an average drop-out rate of 11.7%. Data were not readily available for most countries targeted during the research, either because of lack of existing mechanisms for collation of required data or restrictions making such data publicly unavailable and inaccessible. Conclusions Drop-out rate for pre-service medical students varies across countries with some countries recording higher drop-out rates, which raise significant concerns about the capacity of such countries to scale up production of human resources for health. Data that monitor both course completion and drop-out rates, and seek to provide insight into reasons for observed numbers, can inform mechanisms to address the causes of course drop-out and support student retention

Endodontic radiology, practice, and knowledge of radiation biology, hazard, and protection among clinical dental students and interns

Objective: To evaluate the practice and knowledge of endodontic radiology as well as assess the knowledge of radiation biology, hazard, and protection among clinical dental students and interns. Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional study of clinical dental students and interns at University of Benin and University of Benin Teaching hospital respectively. Data was collected using a questionnaire which covered practice and knowledge of endodontic radiography, knowledge of radiation biology, hazard, and protection. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.0. Result: Seventy participants were included in the study, 40% were final year students and 24.3% house officers. Majority (95.7%) agreed that they exposed radiographs as part of endodontic treatment. Only 18.6% knew that the apices of teeth should be 3mm from the border of the X-ray film, while 24.3% knew that 3mm of periapical bone should be visible on X-ray. Less than half (31.4%) knew that paralleling technique was the technique of choice for endodontic radiography and this was statistically Significant in relationship to the status of the of the respondents. A few (4.3%) of the respondents had knowledge of new horizons in endodontic imaging. Half of the respondents knew that damage by X-rays is mainly due to formation of free radicals. The most frequently reported radiation hazards was reduced salivary flow, while the least reported was rampant caries. Most knew how to protect patients, themselves, and other persons while exposing radiographs. Conclusion: There is need for inclusion of endodontic radiography in the undergraduate curriculum to ensure proper and correct radiographs during endodontic procedure

Sterilization in endodontics: Knowledge, attitude, and practice of dental assistants in training in Nigeria – A cross-sectional study

Objective: To assess the level of knowledge and practice of sterilization of endodontic instruments among future dental surgery assistants undergoing training. Methodology: Data were collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire consisting of demographics, the knowledge of the respondents with regard to sterilization techniques for endodontic files/reamers and handpieces, the attitude of the respondents to transmission of infection from unsterilized endodontic instruments, the sterilization techniques practiced by the respondents for endodontic instruments and materials, and the source of training/knowledge regarding endodontic sterilization. The data were subjected to statistical analysis in the form of descriptive statistics, frequencies, mean and standard deviation. Results: Steam autoclave and dry heat sterilizer were the most reported options for sterilization of endodontic files and reamers. About 95.6% of the respondents claim that they often sterilize endodontic instruments in the course of their training. About 83.3% never sterilize gutta-percha while 50.0% claim they always sterilize new files and reamers before initial use. About 82.2% thought infection could always be transmitted from patient to patient if unsterilized files are used for endodontic treatment. Conclusion: The dental assistants in this study appear to have a fair knowledge of endodontic instrument sterilization; however, they need to expand their scope of practice beyond what is available for use