Bad-breath: Perceptions and misconceptions of Nigerian adults

Objective: To provide baseline data about bad‑breath perception and misconceptions among Nigerian adults.Methods: Multi‑center cross‑sectional study of individuals aged 18-64 years using examiner‑administered questionnaires. Age comparisons were based on the model of emerging adults versus full adults. Data were recoded for statistical analyses and univariate and secondary log‑linear statistics applied.Results: Participants had lopsided perceptions about bad‑breath. While 730 (90.8%) identified the dentist as the expert on halitosis and 719 (89.4%) knew that bad‑breath is not contagious, only 4.4% and 2.5% associated bad‑breath with tooth decay and gum disease respectively. There were no significant sex differences but the older adults showed better knowledge in a few instances. Most respondents (747, 92.9%) would tell a spouse about their bad‑breath and 683 (85%) would tell a friend.Conclusions: Participants had lop‑sided knowledge and perceptions about bad‑breath. Most Nigerian adults are their “brothers’ keepers” who would tell a spouse or friend about their halitosis so they could seek treatment.Key words: Bad‑breath, emerging adults, misconceptions, Nigeria, perception

Prevalence and pattern of periodontal diseases at the periodontal clinic of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Nigeria

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Denture hygiene knowledge and practice amongst patients in a University Teaching Hospital

Background: There are different options available for the replacement of missing teeth. These include fixed partial dentures, removable partial dentures and implants.Aim:  To assess patients' knowledge on denture hygiene and the hygiene methods used for cleaning removable partial dentures.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving 203 patients attending a teaching hospital. Questionnaires were administered to these patients to obtain information on socio-demographic variables like gender, age and the level of education. Other information obtained were the duration of denture use, frequency of denture cleaning and type of material used for denture cleaning.Results: The age of the participants ranged between 15 and 86 years, there were more  Females  105(51.5%) in this study than males 98(48.3%). Almost all the participants (99.5%) had acrylic  dentures. The dentures worn were mostly in the upper jaws (60%). About 41.9% had been using dentures for more than 10 years. The most commonly used denture hygiene method was the mechanical method of brushing with water, soap and brush (46.3%) and 135 (66.5%) cleaned their dentures once daily. A few patients 21(10.3%) used chemical cleaners to clean their dentures.Conclusion: Almost all the participants employed mechanical method of denture cleansing and most had no knowledge of chemical method.Keywords: Denture hygiene, Denture cleansing, Acrylic denture