Self-reported occupational visual and hearing impairment among dental professionals in Nigeria

Objective: To determine the prevalence of occupational visual and hearing impairment among dental professionals in Edo State, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire based cross-sectional survey of dental surgeons, dental surgery assistants (DSA), dental therapists and dental technologists was conducted in four government owned dental centers in Edo state which included: University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Specialist Hospital, Benin City, Irrua specialist hospital and General hospital, Fugar. Results: The response rate was 78.1%. Majority (77.3%) of the respondents were dentists, others were dental nurses (10.7%), dental technologists (9.3%) and dental therapists (2.7%). The prevalence of hearing impairment was 4.0% while visual impairment was 12.0%. The prevalence of hearing impairment was higher among dental technologists, however this was not statistically significant (P>0.05).The regular use of safety practices among the dental professionals was low ranging from12.0% to 50.7%. Conclusion: Visual impairment was more common than hearing impairment among dental professionals. Noise level and hazards to the eyes in dental clinic should be evaluated by occupational health and safety advisors with a view of making useful recommendation to reduce their adverse impact on dental professionals. Further investigations using objective auditory and visual assessment tools are also recommended.Keywords: Occupational health, visual impairment, hearing impairment, dental professionals, health hazard

Knowledge and motivation of Nigeria dental students towards the use of rubber dam

No Abstract

Repair of Defective Composite Resin Restoration: Current Trend among Conservative Dentists in Nigeria

Background: Repair of defective composite resins restorations is being increasingly recognized as a viable alternative to replacement. there is however no consensus yet on the treatment protocol.Objective: To determine the views and practice of specialists in Conservative Dentistry in Nigeria as regard to repair procedure of defective composite resin restorations.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among conservative dentists in Nigeria using anonymous structured and open-ended questionnaire as instrument for data collection. the data collected were: socio demographic variables; views and practice of the respondents as regards the indications, benefits and longevity of composite resins repair treatment option and type of surface preparation usually employed. summary statistics was performed.Results: The respondents comprise 9 (37.5%) males and 15 (62.5%) females. Marginal defect (91.7%) was the strongest indication and preservation of tooth structure (95.8%) was regarded as the topmost benefit. majority of the respondents (75.0%) considered repair procedure as a definitive treatment and etching with phosphoric acid was the most utilized surface preparation (87.5%)Conclusion: The views and practice of the respondents is in the literature.Keywords: Resin composites, repair, defectiv