Access to oral health care for HIV patients in Nigeria: Role of attending physicians

Objective: To assess the knowledge of attending physicians on oral manifestations of HIV infection and their attitude and practice towards dental referral for HIV patients. Method: A self-administered questionnaire survey of attending physicians in outpatient clinics of two teaching hospitals in Lagos and the National hospital, Abuja. Results: seventy-eight (78) doctors returned questionnaires. 16 of them (20.5%) could list correctly three oral lesions in HIV infection, 40 (51.3%) listed two, 18 (23.1%) listed one while 4 (5.1%) could not list any. In managing oral health complaints by patients, 59 (75.5%) agreed that their patients had complained of oral symptoms, of these, only 18 had ever referred a patient for dental care. Majority (84.6%) agreed that HIV patients should have regular dental check ups. Conclusion: The education of both patients and health providers in Nigeria on the importance of good oral health in the quality of life of the HIV patient is necessary. HIV patients in Nigeria should be referred for dental checkups and prophylaxis at least twice a year Key Words: Access; oral health; HIV; physician. African Journal of Oral Health Vol.1(1) 2004: 37-4

Maternal beliefs about infant teething

Context and objective: Parents ascribe many symptoms to teething despite a lack of evidence to support such claims. A descriptive study of the perceptions of mothers on teething problems was conducted. Methods: Information was obtained on a consecutive sample of 333 mothers from an urban slum in Lagos state, Nigeria drawn from different socioeconomic, educational and ethnic backgrounds on their perceptions on teething problems. Results: The mean age of the mothers was 29.2 years and majority (52%) were in the 20 -29 year age group. Most of the mothers (95.2%) perceived teething to be associated with various symptoms while only 4.8% did not. The commonest problems reported were fever (90.3%) and diarrhoea (87.3%). There was no statistically significant association between perception of teething problems and education, age, and ethnic background. About half of the mothers viewed the symptoms as not serious and would not take the child to the hospital. Conclusion: The beliefs and attitude of mothers about “teething” has serious implications for management of childhood fevers which may deserve urgent medical treatment. There is a need for early oral health education of mothers during the antenatal period to discourage the use of “teething as a ready explanation for childhood diseases.Keywords: infant teething, maternal beliefs, Lagos, NigeriaJournal of Community Medicine and Primary Health Care 2005, 17(1): 61-6

Mothers' beliefs about infant teething in Enugu, South-east Nigeria: a cross sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Parents and Health Care Workers have traditionally attributed a variety of symptoms to teething in young children. Some of these symptoms may however connote underlying serious medical condition in a child. There is little evidence to support these beliefs despite their implications on management of a symptomatic teething child. This study therefore seeks determine the beliefs and problems mothers associate with teething in Enugu, South-east Nigeria.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>A cross-sectional survey involving sixty mothers presenting at a Children's clinic in Enugu metropolis using questionnaire. More than 90% of the respondents thought that babies can experience medical problems as a result of teething. The commonest medical problems perceived to be associated with teething were fever (71.7%), loose stools (58.3%) and vomiting (35%).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Mothers still associate a variety of symptoms of childhood illnesses to teething and this association is not evidence based and could lead to delayed interventions, increased morbidity and mortality of children. It is important therefore that mothers and health workers caring for young children are educated on the need to seek prompt medical attentions in a symptomatic child.</p

Coping with oral pain: lay management strategies adopted by patients prior to presentation

Objectives: To identify lay measures taken by patients in response to oral pain before seeking professional care and to determine factors leading to demand for professional oral health care.Methods: A cross-sectional survey of patients aged 16 years and above who presented with oral pain at the oral diagnosis clinics of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital and the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital was carried out. Data was collected by means of questionnaireswhich sought information on onset and duration of pain, character, aggravating and relieving factors and actions taken by the patients before presentation at the dental clinic.Results: A total of 215 patients participated. More than half of them described their pain as severe to very severe with 106(49.3%) and 21(9.8%) reporting sleep disruptions and severe agony respectively. Delay in presentation range from over a month in 56(26%) patients to years in85(39.5%). Responses to pain symptoms included, communication with different persons for advice in 192(89.3%) and application of at least one lay measure in 183(85.1%) patients. Duration and persistence of pain wasassociated significantly with the use of more than one measure. There was no association between gender or age and the use of lay measures. Use of measures with possible adverse effects like petrol and acid was reported in 5(2.7%) of the respondents.Conclusion: Lay strategies in response to oral pain are common in this Nigerian population and appear to be used as an alternative to professional oral health care.Keywords: Oral pain, lay measures, communicatio

Utilization of Oral Health Care Services by University Undergraduates in Lagos, Nigeria

Background: Data on the utilization of the available oral health facilities by university undergraduates is scarce in Nigeria.Objectives: To determine the level of utilization of oral health care services and to identify the barriers to seeking treatment among University of Lagos students.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out among University of Lagos undergraduates. Systematic sampling was used to select participants after randomly selecting a male and female hostel. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to participants and collected immediately. The data was analyzed using Epi info version 6.04 software. Statistical significance was evaluated with chi square test and p-value &lt;0.05 was regarded as significant.Results: About half (50.9%) of the respondents had visited the dentist previously while only 42.7% respondents had utilized dental services in the past 12 months. There was no significant association between the age, gender, year of undergraduate education, and the faculty of these students and their level of utilization of oral health care services. A high proportion of respondents that had attended the dental clinic went for dental checkup (33.6%) and extractions (30.9%).The major barriers to receiving dental treatment was a lack of perceived need for dental treatment (53.1%) followed by lack of time (27.1%), fear/anxiety (18.2%) and cost of treatment (18.2%).Conclusion: The low level of utilization among the undergraduates in Lagos, Nigeria shows that there is need for greater oral health awareness among the students, thereby increasing the use of oral health care facilities.Keywords: Utilization, oral health services, undergraduates

Access to and use of computers among clinical dental students of the University of Lagos.

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Are Nigerian dentists willing to treat patients with HIV infection ?

Objective: HIV/AIDS is a modern day plague, which is a challenge to dentistry. The willingness of dentists to treat HIV positive patients is crucial in the provision of oral health care to this increasing population of patients. The purpose of this study was to assess the willingness of dentists and factors that influence willingness of Nigerian dentists to treat HIV infected patients. Method: A descriptive study of two hundred and fifty dentists practicing in both private and public dental clinics in Southwest Nigeria was carried out. Results: The majority of the dentists (63.6%) expressed willingness to treat HIV infected patients. Willingness of the dentists was significantly associated with gender (p = 0.021), awareness of known HIV patient attending the clinic (p = 0.000), having treated a known HIV patient (p = 0.00), not having fears about HIV (p = 0.001) and attendance at postgraduate courses (p = 0.025). Conclusion: Willingness on the part of the dentists in this study is commendable and it is similar to other African countries. However there is room for more improvement, as any form of unwillingness constitutes a barrier to oral health care for the increasing population of HIV infected patients. There is need for continuing education for dentists to remove the fear of acquiring HIV/AIDS occupationally and improve cross - infection control. Keywords: HIV/AIDS, patients, Nigerian dentists Nigerian Dental Journal Vol. 15 (2) 2007: pp. 66-7

Internet access and use among Nigerian dental students

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine access to internet /e-mail and its usage among Nigerian clinical dental students in year 4 to year 6. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study involving clinical dental students in year 4 to year 6 of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos. Information obtained from the students include demographic data, access to computers, access to the internet, internet usage, attitude to internet as a supplemental resource in dental education. Result: Only 35% of the students in this study owned a personal computer presently. Other sources of computer access were at home (35.6%), roommates (21.8%), dental school/college library (7.9%) . Only 35.6% of the respondents had access to the internet at home, with majority (60.4%) accessing it from cyber cafés. Twenty-five per cent used the internet more than once a week while 43.4% accessed it only once a week. Nearly 30% rarely accessed the internet. Eighty-eight per cent used the internet for sending e-mails while only 38% used this facility for literature search(i.e. academic purposes). Students in higher levels of study significantly used the internet often especially for literature search (p< 0.05). Nearly all students (95%) possessed e-mail addresses though only 26% accessed it more than once a week. About 90% would like the internet used as a supplement in dental education. Conclusion: There is a need to improve internet usage for academic purposes for our students .The availability of computers and unhindered access to the internet by clinical students in Nigeria would be beneficial to update their knowledge and share experiences with their global peers. Keywords: Internet access, Nigerian dental students.Nigerian Dental Journal Vol. 15 (2) 2007: pp. 94-9