Use of simulators in operative dental education: experience in southern Nigeria

Background: Though the use of simulators in operative dentistry is not new, the teaching and learning practices that take place during clinical sessions in skills laboratories are rarely reported. This study was designed to determine the current practices relating to teaching and learning of dental clinical skills in southern Nigeria.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the final year dental students in southern Nigeria using anonymous structured questionnaire as instrument for data collection. The questionnaire items included statements relating to existing teaching and learning practices. A five-point Likert scale response option was provided and descriptive summary statistics was computed.Results: There were 56 (34.8%) females and 105 (65.2%) males. Most of the students (41.0%) agreed that the theoretical concept behind clinical skills is taught prior to clinical sessions and most agreed that the objectives of each clinical session are stated and that the procedures are usually demonstrated. Most of the respondents (39.8%) agreed that feedback was sometimes embarrassing and given at the end of clinical sessions (76.6%). Equipment breakdown was a major challenge to learning.Conclusion: Dental education in the skills labs within the region appeared standard. However, feedback should be continuous and constructive. Equipment breakdown was the major constraint to learning.Key words: Simulators, Dentistry, Clinical skills laboratories, Dentistry, Simulator

Toxicity of powder and extracts of Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides Lam (Rutaceae) root bark from Nigeria to three storage beetles

The root of Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides Lam is used as antibacterial toothbrush in southwestern Nigeria. The root bark was therefore screened as powder, aqueous and ethanolic extracts for toxicity to adult Callosobruchus maculatus F. (Coleoptera: Bruchidae), Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) and the effects of the test extracts on oviposition and progeny development of C. maculatus in laboratory tests. A small scale field trial was also carried out to test the efficacy of test powder as a protectant of cowpea, Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walpers and maize, Zea mays L. grains against insect infestation. Results of the acute toxicity tests showed that all the formulations were toxic to the insects. The 48 h median lethal concentration (LC50) values obtained for the test powder against C. maculatus, S. zeamais and T. castaneum are 0.05 g kg-1, 0.01g kg-1 and 0.04 g kg-1, respectively. For the aqueous extracts the LC50 values are 0.83 g L-1, 0.34 g L-1 and 0.38 g L-1 against C. maculatus, S. zeamais and T. castaneum, respectively while the values are 0.02 g L-1, 0.04 g L-1 and 0.09 g L-1, respectively for ethanolic extract, indicating higher toxicity against the test insects relative to the water-based extract. The ethanolic extract demonstrated residual property, the toxicity to C. maculatus remaining fairly constant over a total post-treatment time of 336 h. Cowpea grain treatment with test plant ethanolic extract resulted in reduction of the number of eggs laid from 93.30 ± 3.46 in the control to 21.00 ± 4.57 in grain treated with 0.10 g L-1 extract without significant difference in the number of adult emergence from the treated grains. Field trials showed that cowpea and maize grains treated with test plant powder respectively were protected from insect infestation for 180 d. These results demonstrate the potentials of Z. zanthoxyloides for protecting cowpea and maize grains against storage insects.Keywords: Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides, Callosobruchus maculatus, Sitophilus zeamais, Tribolium castaneum, Toxicit

Effectiveness of an Oral Health Care Training Workshop for School Teachers: A Pilot Study

Background: School teachers play key roles in imparting appropriate and up-to-date knowledge to pupils and students. However, most teachers in developing countries like Nigeria have poor knowledge and motivation about oral health which may be due to inadequate training in the area of oral health. This might be one of the reasons for the poor oral hygiene among them and their students.Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of an oral health care training programme organized for teachers in Eruwa, Oyo state, Nigeria. Methods: An intervention study was conducted among 40 school teachers who attended a two day oral health training workshop at Eruwa, headquarters of Ibarapa East Local Government Area. Training methods included lectures and demonstrations on aetiology, clinical features, treatment and prevention of common oral diseases. Pre- and post- evaluation written tests were administered to the participants to assess the effectiveness of the training. The knowledge scores were rated as poor, fair and good knowledge scoring <50.0%, 50.0-60.0% and > 60.0% respectively. Frequencies, percentages and means of relevant variables were generated. Paired t-test was used to compare means at P<0.05.Result: The mean age of the teachers was 40.13 ±7.24 years. There were 16 (40.0%) males and 24 (60.0%) females. Twenty (50.0%) of the participants had poor pre-training knowledge as compared to 7 (17.5%) after the training. Thirteen (32.5%) had fair pre-training knowledge as compared to 17 (42.5%) post training. Only (2.5%) of the participants had good pre-training knowledge as compared to 18 (45.0%) post training. The mean scores of the pre- and post-evaluation tests were 31.70 ±11.31 and 48.20 ±11.16 respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the pre and post evaluations P<0.05.Conclusions: The training workshop improved the knowledge of school teachers regarding oral health.Keywords: Effectiveness, Oral health training, Teachers

Strategic partnership of stakeholders: a veritable tool for sustainable fishery resources in Nigeria

Fishery resources are very important resource from the aquatic environment to the Nigerian economy. Stakeholders involvement in its management is highly important therefore, this paper proposes two frameworks against which sustainable fishery should be based, vis-a-vis stakeholders participation. The paper showed that decision-making involving stakeholders would enhance the goals of sustainable fishery development and create unity of purpose among various stakeholder

Aflatoxins in Nigerian Groundnut: Continuous Threat to Health, Agriculture and Foreign Trade, Policy Brief 35

Groundnut is the most common host of aflatoxin world wide. In Nigeria, this crop is largely grown by resource-limited farmers under rainfed conditions. Most of the groundnut and groundnut-based products grown and/or sold in Nigeria contain varying quantities of aflatoxins. At least 30% of groundnut grains and seeds sold on local markets are contaminated by aflatoxins, with 25-83% of them exceeding permissible levels for many countries, including Nigeria. Aflatoxin contaminations are higher in local groundnut varieties than in improved ones. Similarly, 87-100% of kuli kuli consumed in Nigeria is contaminated by aflatoxins; the situation of many other groundnut-based products are not very different from that of kuli kuli. This Policy Brief is an integral component of proactive measures being taken to create awareness and sustain on going measures to effectively manage aflatoxin contamination in groundnut and other crops prone to aflatoxin contamination. Other measures include regular use of good agricultural practices, consistent enforcement of pertinent existing, and constant re-assessment and revision of policies, regulations and evolving biological control methods

Prevalence and predictors of dental caries and trauma among institutionalised and non-institutionalised street children in Ibadan

Objective: Urbanization is increasing the number of street children in most regions of the world especially in many African cities which may be due to poverty and unemployment status of many parents. This study was aimed at determining the predictors and prevalence of dental caries and trauma among institutionalized (those in juvenile correctional home) and non-institutionalized street children in Ibadan.Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out among institutionalized (juvenile correctional home) and non-institutionalized street children. Cluster sampling technique was used in the selection of children for this study. Children were selected from the juvenile correctional home and four major motor parks in Ibadan metropolis.Results: One hundred and thirty eight children participated in this study. Male constituted 65.9% while female was 34.1%. Thirty five (25.4%) are from the juvenile correctional home (institutionalized street children) while 103 (74.6%) are from the streets. The prevalence of dental caries among the children generally was 29.0%, while that of dental trauma was 18.8%.Conclusion: The significant predictors of dental caries were gender, tooth hypoplasia and the presence of visible plaque on the anterior teeth while those of dental trauma were lip competence, substance use, age and gender.Keywords: Street children, Juvenile home, Caries, Traum