Prevalence of Dental Traumas and Mouthguard use Among Contact Sports’ Players in Kigali, Rwanda

Background Dental traumas are widely prevalent in contact sports and are among the main public oral health concerns. They are attributed to nonuse and/or insufficient use of mouth guards, as protective means, for players in the game. Objectives The study aims to assess the prevalence of dental traumas among the contact sports and to determine the significance of using mouth guards in the prevention of such traumas. Methodology This was a cross sectional study conducted on the selected sports games in Kigali city, Rwanda. Data were collected using semi-structured questionnaires and analysed for any associations between independent variables and dependent variable with chi-square and logistic regression tests. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 was used for the analysis. Results The prevalence of dental trauma was 58.9% among contact sports players in Kigali. Most respondents had information about mouth guards (94.7%) and many of them (62.2%) affirmed they could prevent dental traumas. This study has shown a significant association between dental traumas and mouth-guard use where players who did not use mouthguards were 5.8 times more likely to have dental traumas compared to those who used them regularly [OR=5.81;95% CI=2.44-13.82; p<0.001]. Conclusion A high prevalence of dental traumas was observed among the players despite the proven protection of using mouthguards. Therefore, putting emphasis on regular use of mouthguards would result in a huge reduction of risk and keep those traumas to a minimum. Rwanda J Med Health Sci 2022;5(3):315-32

Healthy Eating for All? The Challenge of Adhering to Dietary Guidelines for Low-Income Groups in China

The Chinese Dietary Guidelines propose a balanced diet for healthy living, but the affordability of this diet needs to be considered, especially for low-income households. To investigate the affordability of a healthy diet, this study analyzes the daily retail prices of 46 food items in 36 Chinese cities from 2016 to 2021. This study compares expenditure, diet composition, and nutritional status in two scenarios aligned with the guidelines. The results show that the mean minimum cost of a balanced diet exceeds the current per capita food expenditure for at least 182.85 million urban households. This suggests that low-income people would need to increase their expenditure by at least 20–121% to achieve the recommended diets. This study also identifies affordable and nutrient-dense foods such as standard flour, eggs, black beans, and cabbage, which policymakers should focus on when monitoring food prices. The findings recommend a combination of social and food system policies to reduce prices and make healthy diets accessible. This study identifies the gaps in the Chinese Dietary Guidelines for ensuring accessibility for vulnerable groups and provides a template for policymakers and researchers to track diet affordability using available food price data in China, contributing to China’s 2030 Health Plan and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals