Periodontal status and treatment needs of a group of epileptics attending a tertiary health facility

No Abstract

The limitations in clinical teaching, learning and practice of conservative amalgam cavity preparations in developing countries

Amalgam is the cheapest and the most widely used intra-coronal posterior restorative material in the world.Therefore, the teaching, learning and practice of conservative amalgam cavity preparations cannot be ignored by any dental school. Since the introduction of the principles and methods of cavity preparation by G.V Black in 1908, there have been a series of modifications in terms of designs and the underlining principles.The “extension for prevention” dogma by G.V Black had been jettisoned while the modern concept of conservatism or minimal cavity preparation has been well embraced by dental practitioners. However, there are some limitations in clinical teaching of conservative amalgam cavity preparation which include late patient presentation with large carious lesions, lack of appropriate conservative instruments and restorative materials. This article discusses limitations in teaching, learning and practice of conservative amalgam cavity preparation in the developing countries.Key Words: Teaching, learning, practice, amalgam, minimal preparation

Report of hereditary gingival fibromatosis in two Nigerian siblings

Background: Hereditary Gingival Fibromatosis (HGF) is a rare condition with a prevalence of 1:750,000, and can present as an isolated disorder or more rarely as a syndrome component. It is characterised by a slow and progressive enlargement of both maxillary and mandibular 28rganiza with varying severity between individuals within the same family. This paper reports the occurrence of HGF in two young patients from the same parents.Materials: Detailed clinical evaluation revealed a positive history of generalised gingival swelling in the two patients, in the eldest child of the family, and an uncle. There was no history of intake of drugs that could predispose to the development of gingival hyperplasia. Intra oral examination showed generalised gingival hyperplasia involving thelingual and buccal regions of both maxillary and mandibular arches.Conclusion: Screening other siblings of patients who present with delayed eruption and gingival enlargement for HCF with the view of instituting early and effective plaque control in order to reduce severity of the enlargement is recommended

Gingival Overgrowth and Associated Factors among Epileptic Patients of Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria

Background: Gingival Hyperplasia (GH) may occur as a hereditary disorder or linked to certain factors such as drugs. Drug induced GH; now referred to as Gingival Overgrowth (GO) typically develops in a susceptible individual within 1-3 months of commencing medication. It is the most common oral side effect reported with the use of anticonvulsants and aesthetically displeasing. This study aims to evaluate the proportion of epileptic patients attending the Neurology Clinic of LUTH that present with GO and assess the associated factors. Patients and methods: 300 dentate subjects consisting of 150 epileptics and 150 controls matched for age and sex participated in this study. Bio-data and medical history were collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire and confirmed from patients’ case file. Oral hygiene was assessed using the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (S-OHI) of Green and Vermillion and GO, the New Clinical Index for Drug-Induced Gingival Overgrowth (DIGO). Result: The age range was between 10 and 74 years. Male to female ratio for cases and control was 1:1.8 and 1:1.7 respectively. The mean S-OHI score in the cases was 1.89 ± 0.758. The proportion of epileptic patients who presented with GO was 32.7%. Conclusion: The proportion of patients who presented with GO was significantly higher among the epileptics.Keywords: Gingival Hyperplasia, Gingival Overgrowth, Epileptics, AnticonvulsantsNigerian Journal of Plastic Surgery Vol. 9, No 2, September 201

Oral hygiene practices and status of epileptics and controls in Lagos

Introduction: Epilepsy is a clinically complex phenomenon with various underlying causes. It affects about 0.5-3.7% of the general population with higher rates in the rural area. Various adverse effects have been reported with the use of anticonvulsants. Gingival overgrowth is the most common oral side effect reported. Bacterial plaque is the primary aetiologic agent in inflammatory periodontal disease. This study therefore aims to investigate the oral health practices and status of epileptics and controls. This will form the basis of a more detailed study on the periodontal status and treatment needs of epileptic patients. Materials and Method: One hundred and fifty consecutive epileptic patients attending neurology out-patient clinic of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital within a 6-month period were selected. One hundred and fifty patients forming the control group were also included in the study. Both groups were made to fill questionnaires on their oral health practices and were examined to determine their oral health status. Location and severity of gingival diseases was determined using the Gingival Index; and Simplified Oral Hygiene Index of Greene and Vermillion was used to determine oral hygiene status. Data Analysis: The Epi info (version 6) statistical software was used for data entry validation and analysis. Associations and differences were said to be significant when the p-values were equal to or less than 0.05. Results: There were more subjects in the 15-19 years and 20-29 years age groups in both epileptic and control groups. Only 25.3% of the epileptics had previously visited a dental clinic compared to 50% in the control group. The mean Oral Hygiene Index scores (OHIS) for epileptic and control groups were 1.89 + 0.758 and 1.55 + 0.864 respectively. The differences in OHI-S and oral hygiene status between the epileptics and control group were statistically significant (p-valu

The Prevalence of Dental Anxiety and Validation of the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale in a Sample of Nigerian Population

Dental anxiety has been reported to be of global public health concern. In Nigeria, not much work has been documented on dental anxiety. The objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence of dental anxiety and determine the reliability and validity of the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) in screening for dental anxiety among Nigerian adult dental patients. One hundred and ninety adult participants were invited to complete a sociodemographic questionnaire, Modified Dental Anxiety Scale and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale in order to determine the prevalence, internal consistency and concurrent validity of the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale. The mean score of the MDAS was 11.0 (SD = 6.1) and the scores ranged from 5-25. Of the total 190 participants, 60 (48.6%) scored above the cut-off score of 11. The internal consistency of the MDAS was 0.90 (95% CI = 0.94-0.97). The MDAS correlated well with HARS; the concurrent validity coefficient of 0.58 was obtained. (r = 0.90, p<0-0001). At normative cut-off score of 11.0, MDAS sensitivity was 0.8 and specificity 0.85. These psychometric findings showed that the MDAS has good internal consistency as well as good concurrent validity coefficient. Because of its reliability, validity, brevity and ease of administration, the MDAS is considered a useful instrument for measuring dental anxiety among Nigerians.Keywords: Prevalence, Reliability, Validity, Modified Dental Anxiety ScaleNigerian Medical Practitioner Vol. 62 No 5-6, 201

A preliminary study of psychological pain among patients attending the dental clinic of a tertiary hospital

Objective: Dental practitioners frequently encounter individuals who suffer from psychological pain at the dental clinics. Most dentists do not have the training or the instrument to recognise and manage psychological pain associated with dental treatment. This study was carried out to determine the level of psychological pain among dental patients visiting the dental clinic of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria. Method: One hundred and twenty five patients who attended the dental clinic of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria were invited to take part in the study. They completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, Psychache Scale (PAS) and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS) in order to determine their levels of psychological pain and anxiety. Result: Of the total respondents, 43% were males and 57% females, mean age 30.2 years (SD=10.7, ranging from 15-80), 74.2% were married and 22.5% single. With regards to psychological pain and anxiety, 31.9% scored high in the PAS, indicating probable psychological pain while 25.8%, 19.4% and 54.8% were detected to suffer from mild, moderate and severe anxiety as detected by HARS. Conclusion: The finding from this study demonstrated that Nigerian dental patients also suffer from psychological pain and various degrees of dental anxiety. Therefore there is a need for Nigerian dental surgeons to acquire some knowledge of mental health in order to recognise these psychopathologies among their patients.Keywords: Psychological pain, anxiety, dental patients, NigeriaNig Dent J Vol 20 No. 1 Jan - June 201