Dentistry for Nigerians with special needs: an overview

There are approximately 25 million residents with disabilities in Nigeria. Social inclusion of individuals with disabilities is difficult since societal views of these persons are in terms of charity and welfare rather than functioning members of a community. While there are no national studies of the dental needs of individuals with disabilities in Nigeria, there are reports of local studies of patients with disabilities which indicate a greater incidence of management difficulties as well as the need for improved oral hygiene and restorative services. Nevertheless, a study of practitioner involvement in the care of individuals with disabilities reported limited preparation of dental students to provide service for this population. Some organizations, such as the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes Special Smiles and the Smile Train, have set up programmes, both educational and service, to address some of their oral health issues. It is recommended that there is a need to identify the availability of current dental service centers for individuals with disabilities, establish a national organization to stimulate an awareness of the varied needs of individuals with disabilities and real programs in schools to prepare dental students to care for individuals with disabilities. Examples of dental education accreditation standards in other countries are used as models for the improvement in the preparation of dental students to provide services for individuals with special needs

Mandibular facial talon cusp: Case report

BACKGROUND: Talon cusp is a supernumerary structure projecting from the dento-enamel junction to a variable distance towards the incisal edge of an anterior tooth. Studies have shown that it consists of enamel, dentine and a variable amount of pulp tissue. Hyperactivity of the enamel organ during morphodifferentiation has been attributed to its formation. Most previous reports have been made concerning the occurrence of this structure on primary and permanent teeth and mostly on the palatal aspect. Only few have been reported on the facial aspect of the teeth. When it occurs, the effects are mainly aesthetic and functional and so early detection and treatment is essential in its management to avoid complications. CASE PRESENTATION: An unusual case of talon cusp on the facial aspect of a mandibular central incisor is reported. Its presence resulted in attrition of the opposing tooth. Reduction of the cusp and topical application of fluoride gel was initiated. CONCLUSION: The management and treatment outcome of talon cusp depends on the size, presenting complications and patient cooperation

ETHICS AND ITS EFFECTS ON BUSINESSES IN NIGERIA

My years of experience in different companies got me interested in ethics, having the knowledge that organizational survival and growth is that, once employees fail to follow laid down procedures in an organization, no matter how morally intentioned they feel about their actions, they have automatically indulged in an unethical behaviour, which could lead to organizational failure. This made me appreciate, more than ever before, the importance of business and professional ethics for both economic growth and other important aspects of development

Tooth Crown Dimensions of Primary Dentition in the Nigerian Population

Svrha: Željelo se dobiti odontometrijske podatke u trima dimenzijama – meziodisalnoj i bukolingvalnoj širini, te visini kliničke krune u mliječnoj denticiji kod nigerijske djece. Materijali i metode: Uzorak se sastojao od 400 zdrave djece u dobi od tri do pet godina kojoj su niknuli svi mliječni zubi. Nasumce su bila odabrana iz šest javnih vrtića. Nakon toga su od odabranog uzorka od alginatnih otisaka izrađeni gipsani modeli. Pomičnom elektroničkom mjerkom obavljena su i mjerenja meziodistalne (MD) i vestibularne (VO) širine te vrijednosti visine kliničke krune (VKK). Deskriptivna statistika dobivena je unosom vrijednosti u program SPSS - verzija 13. Rezultati: Izmjereno je ukupno osam tisuća zuba. Aritmetička sredina vrijednosti MD-a i VO-a povećavala se progresivno od bočnih sjekutića do drugoga mliječnog kutnjaka u maksilarnom luku, a kod mandibule rasla je od središnjeg sjekutića do drugoga mliječnog kutnjaka. Najveća aritmetička sredina širine MD-a od 10,20mm+0,56 pronađena je na drugom mandibularnom kutnjaku, a drugi maksilarni kutnjak imao je najveću aritmetičku srednju vrijednost BL-a 9,74mm+0,58. Kod mandibularnog očnjaka zabilježena je najveća vrijednost VKK-a – iznosila je od 5,83mm+0,61. Dječaci su kod većine zuba imali veću aritmetičku sredinu. Ustanovljena je statistički značajna razlika među visinama zuba obaju spolova (p<0,05) te varijanca unutar njihovih vrsta. Zaključak: Može se reći da djeca u Nigeriji imaju veće mliječne zube negoli bijelci te Arapi (Jordanci) i Kinezi (Tajvanci), a istodobno su manji od zuba australskih Aboriđina. Zabilježena je i sličnost u dimenzijama s djecom u Indiji.Objective: To provide odontometric information in three dimensions; Mesiodistal, Buccolingual and Clinical Crown Height in the primary dentition of Nigerian children. Materials and Method: A sample of healthy 400 nursery school children aged 3-5 years old with fully erupted primary teeth were randomly selected from six public nursery Schools. Dental stone models were made from maxillary and mandibular alginate impressions of the population sample. Mesiodistal (MD), Buccolingual (BL) and Clinical Crown Height (CCH) measurements of teeth were done using electronic digital caliper. The descriptive statistics were obtained for all parameters using SPSS version 13. Result: A total of 8,000 teeth were measured. The mean MD and BL tooth crown dimensions increased progressively from the lateral incisors to the second primary molars in the maxillary arch while the dimensions increased from the central incisors to the second primary molars. The largest mean MD dimension was the mandibular primary second molar with 10.20mm+ 0.56, the maxillary second molar had the largest mean BL dimension of 9.74mm+0.58, while the mandibular canine had the largest mean CCH dimension of 5.83mm+0.61. The males had larger mean tooth dimensions in most tooth types. There were statistically significant differences between the tooth dimensions in both genders (p<0.05) and variations within tooth classes. Conclusion: It can be concluded that Nigerians have larger primary tooth dimensions than Caucasians, Jordanians, Taiwanese and smaller primary tooth dimensions than Australian Aborigines but comparable to those of Indians

Natal and neonatal teeth: Literature review and report of seven cases in a Nigerian Tertiary Hospital

Teeth that are present in newborn infants are called "natal teeth" while teeth that erupt within the first 4 weeks after birth are called "neonatal teeth". The incidence of the appearance of natal and neonatal teeth has been reported to be between one in every 1000 and one in every 6000 births. Natal teeth may be uncomfortable for a nursing mother and present a risk of aspiration and swallowing by the infant if they are loose. Also, they may cause irritation and trauma to the infant\u27s soft tissues. Under these circumstances, these teeth need to be extracted. This paper presents 7 cases of natal and neonatal teeth. Three of the cases presented with natal molar teeth which are rare. The clinical features, complications and management are discussed

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

Risk of COVID‐19 infection in adult patients with atopic eczema and psoriasis: a single‐centre cross‐sectional study

From Wiley via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2021-03-02, accepted 2021-03-15, pub-electronic 2021-05-31Article version: VoRPublication status: Publishe