Sports-related dentofacial trauma among high school students in Nairobi

Objectives: To determine the prevalence and pattern of occurrence of sports - related dentofacial injuries among athletes participating in Rugby and Football in Nairobi, Kenya.Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study.Setting: Seventeen Secondary schools participating in either or both Rugby tournaments and the Nairobi Football League during the 2015 season in Nairobi.Subjects: Five hundred and ten male high school students aged 14 to 18 years.Results: Among the 510 participants in the two sports, 281 (55.1%) had reported having experienced dentofacial injuries. Participants playing both sports had a significantly higher prevalence of dentofacial injuries 24 (66.7%)in comparison to those who participated in rugby 138 (54.3%)and football with 119 (54.1%)(p = 0.02). The most commonly reported injury involved the soft tissue at 68.3%, teeth at 19.5%, a combination of the hard and soft tissues at 8.1% and bone fractures at 3.9%. Regarding the phase of play during which the injuries were sustained, collision accounted for 26.2% followed by tackling (19.7%), having been tackled (18.0%) while lineout (1.17%) was the least cause of dentofacial injury. Of the 281 of the injured respondents, 153 (54.4%) had received first aid treatment with 72 (47.1%) having received treatment on the pitch side. One hundred and eighty three (35.9%) of all the participants reported having had some form of medical insurance while 227 (44.5%) did not have any.Conclusion: More than half of the participants had experienced dentofacial injuries with those of the soft tissue having been the most commonly reported. About a third of the injuries encountered were sustained during collision of players

A pilot study on the global practice of informed consent in paediatric dentistry

Background: Conducting oral treatment early in the disease course, is encouraged for better health outcomes. Obtaining informed consent is an essential part of medical practice, protecting the legal rights of patients and guiding the ethical practice of medicine. In practice, consent means different things in different contexts. Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) and Silver Fluoride (SF) is becoming popular and cost effective methods to manage carious lesions, however, cause black discolouration of lesions treated. Obtaining informed consent and assent is crucial for any dental treatment—and has specific relevance with SDF/ SF treatments. Methods: The aim of this paper is to describe informed consent regulations for dental care in a selection of countries, focusing on children and patients with special health care needs. An online survey was shared with a convenience sample of dental professionals from 13 countries. The information was explored and the processes of consent were compared. Results: Findings suggest that there are variations in terms of informed consent for medical practice. In Tanzania, South Africa, India, Kenya, Malaysia and Brazil age is the determining factor for competence and the ability to give self-consent. In other countries, other factors are considered alongside age. For example, in Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States the principle of Gillick Competence is applied. Many countries' laws and regulations do not specify when a dentist may overrule general consent to act in the “best interest” of the patient. Conclusion: It is recommended that it is clarified globally when a dentist may act in the “best interest” of the patient, and that guidance is produced to indicate what constitutes a dental emergency. The insights gathered provide insights on international practice of obtaining informed consent and to identify areas for change, to more efficient and ethical treatment for children and patients with special needs. A larger follow up study is recommended to include more or all countries

Knowledge on the management of avulsed teeth among dental practitioners in Nairobi City County, Kenya

Objective: To determine dental practitioners’ knowledge on the management of avulsed teeth. Design and Setting: Descriptive, cross-sectional study in Nairobi City County, Kenya. Participants: Dental practitioners practicing in Nairobi City County, Kenya. Methodology: A self-administered questionnaire based on International Association of Dental Traumatology (IADT) guidelines on the management of avulsed teeth was used to assess participants’ knowledge levels. Collected data was analyzed using International Business Machine Statistical Package for Social Scientists (IBM SPSS Statistics 25.0) and MS Excel (Excel 2016 version 16.0). Inferential statistics in the form of Chi-square Test, whose p-value was set at <0.05, was used to show interactions of the measured variables. Results: One hundred and thirty-one dental practitioners participated in the study. Majority of whom were males 70 (53.4%). The highest level of education for the majority, 92 (70.2%), was a bachelor’s degree in Dental Surgery. The mean scored marks for correct answers from the questionnaires was 13.7 ± 3.0 out of 23 marks. There was a statistically significant association between gender p=0.01, type of  practice p< 0.001, length of practice p=0.013, level of education p< 0.001 and the knowledge scores attained. Conclusion: The knowledge level of management of avulsed teeth among dentists in Nairobi City County is low. There was a lack of sufficient knowledge in intrare-implantation, post re-implantation instructions and the likely sequelae of reimplanting an avulsed toot

Antibody Responses to Crude Gametocyte Extract Predict Plasmodium falciparum Gametocyte Carriage in Kenya

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