Femoral bifurcation with ipsilateral tibia hemimelia: Early outcome of ablation and prosthetic fitting

Femoral bifurcation and tibia hemimelia are rare anomalies. Hereby, we present a case report of a 2-year-old boy who first presented in our orthopedic clinic as a 12-day-old neonate, with a grossly deformed right lower limb from a combination of complete tibia hemimelia and ipsilateral femoral bifurcation. Excision of femoral exostosis, knee disarticulation and prosthetic fitting gives satisfactory early outcome

Vitamin D Deficiency and Its Health Consequences in Africa

Africa is heterogeneous in latitude, geography, climate, food availability, religious and cultural practices, and skin pigmentation. It is expected, therefore, that prevalence of vitamin D deficiency varies widely, in line with influences on skin exposure to UVB sunshine. Furthermore, low calcium intakes and heavy burden of infectious disease common in many countries may increase vitamin D utilization and turnover. Studies of plasma 25OHD concentration indicate a spectrum from clinical deficiency to values at the high end of the physiological range; however, data are limited. Representative studies of status in different countries, using comparable analytical techniques, and of relationships between vitamin D status and risk of infectious and chronic diseases relevant to the African context are needed. Public health measures to secure vitamin D adequacy cannot encompass the whole continent and need to be developed locally

Endodontic treatment outcome in premolars

No Abstract

A study of tooth brushing pattern and its effects on dental tissues in Obafemi Awolowo University students

Objective: To determine the tooth brushing patterns among Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) students and the effects on dental tissues.Method: A convenient sampling technique was used to select 100 undergraduate students of the Obafemi Awolowo University. A self administered questionnaire designed to determine respondents' demographics and tooth brushing techniques was employed. Thereafter, dental examination was carried out on all respondents. Data was inputted andsubjected to computer analysis using the Statistical package for social science version 17.0 (SPSS).Result: Majority (95%) of the respondents used toothbrush in cleaning their teeth while 7% combined toothbrush and chewing stick. Ninety nine percent of the respondents used toothpaste in cleaning their teeth, 72.7% of the respondents brushed their teeth once a day and 24.2% brushed twice a day. Fifty two percent of the respondents who brushed twice a day were females, while 48% were males. The pattern of tooth brushing was correct in 51.7% of the respondents as reported. Use of highly abrasive agents was also rare. Gingival recession was found in 31% of subjects (p=0.15) that employed hard texture toothbrush. The prevalence of non carious cervical lesion was 3% and these lesions were found in males only.Conclusion: The pattern of tooth brushing was correct in 51.7% of the respondents as reported. However the effect on dental tissues though present is not exaggerated when compared to other studies done in other parts of the  world.Key words: Tooth brushing pattern, dental tissue, gingival recession, non carious cervical lesio

Root form and clinical radiographic estimation of the number of root canals in maxillary first and second premolars among Nigerians

The objectives of this study are to document the root form and the clinical radiographic estimation of the number of root canals in maxillary first and second premolars. The root form of 100 extracted maxillary premolars, the pre-operative radiographic estimation and clinical radiographic determination of the number of root canals in 340 maxillary premolars of Nigerian patients attending the dental hospital for endodontic treatment were studied. The maxillary second premolars had one root in 60% and two roots in 34% of cases. 18.4% had one canal (Vertucci type I). 35.3% had two canals with one apical foramen (Vertucci type II), while 46.3% had two canals with separate apical foramina (Vertucci type IV). Result of the correlation of the pre-operative radiographic impression with clinical findings indicates a significant positive relationship (maxillary second premolars r = 0.07307, p < 0.001). In Nigerians, the maxillary second premolar may be single rooted but most of the time it has two canals. Keywords: root form, radiographic, root canals Nigerian Medical Practitioner Vol. 49(4) 2006: 68-7

Root surface caries occurrence, oral hygiene status and habits in a selected suburban population, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

Objectives: The study evaluated root surface caries (RS C) occurrence in relation to oral hygiene status and habits in a suburban Nigerian Population.Methods: Seven hundred and twenty consecutive subjects, aged 20 years and above of both genders, attending the General Outpatient Department (GOPD) of Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC), Ile-Ife, Nigeria, were recruited. RSC was scored with Banting's diagnostic convention and Oral Hygiene Status (OHS) with Oral Hygiene Index – Simplified (OHI-S). Results: RSC prevalence figure was 11.6%. While the association between RSC and OHS was significant (P 0.05). RSC occurrence increased with advancing age. Frequency of tooth cleaning was not significantly associated with RSC occurrence, and being male or female had no significant effect on RSC occurrence. Conclusion: Within the limitations of the study, though RSC does not seem to be a serious public health problem in the studied population, Oral Health Education campaign should be adopted for preventive and early care. Keywords: caries, oral hygiene, habits, suburban population Nigerian Journal of Health and Biomedical Sciences Vol. 5(1) 2006: 68-7

Bacterial cultures from sinus track and bone in Nigerians with chronic osteomyelitis

Chronic osteomyelitis of the long bones is common in the tropics, despite advances in antimicrobial therapy and surgical treatment. Attempts to isolate the causative pathogen are often done by surface swabs from the discharging sinuses and findings may differ from bone sampling isolates. This study aimed to establish the correlation between sinus and bone culture. A 2-year prospective study was under taken at Federal Medical Centre Owo, Nigeria, from May 2002 to April 2004. Of 25 patients, bacteria were cultured from 11(44%) sinus tracks and 7(28%) bone samples with only 45% concordance between the cultures. The isolation of a single organism especially Staphylococcus aureus from the bone correlated well with that of sinus track culture. Malawi Medical Journal Vol. 17(2) 2005: 47-4

Dental Caries in 12-year-old Suburban Nigerian School Children

BACKGROUND: Dental caries is one of the commonest oral diseases in children. Despite this fact, not much attention has been given to studies on this issue among suburban Nigerian children. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of dental caries, dental attendance and oral health behaviours among the 12-year-old suburban Nigerian children. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Four hundred and two schoolchildren (349 boys, 153 girls) from both private and public schools age 12-year-old participated in the study in 2003. One examiner was calibrated and performed the screening procedures using standard method of WHO diagnostic criteria. RESULTS: The prevalence of caries was 13.9 % and mean DMFT was 0.14. The decayed component accounted for 77.2 % of the DMFT while filling and missing teeth accounted for 15.8% and 7% respectively. Over 85 % of the children examined were caries free. Seventy seven per cent of the teeth affected by caries were untreated. The probability of having caries experience DMFT>0 was significantly associated with the type of school and regular sweet consumption p< 0.05. The children who had not visited the dentist had higher caries prevalence than other children. This was statistically significant p<0.05. Dental attendance was generally poor in both public (90.6%) and private (83.1%) school children. CONCLUSION: The findings in this study for the caries prevalence in 12 year - old suburban Nigerian schoolchildren was as low as in developed countries of central Europe and lower than the global standard according to WHO references for the year 2000

A Survey Of The Injured Patients In The Emergency Room Of A Semi-Urban Hospital In South Western Nigeria

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the injury pattern among trauma patients presenting at emergency room of the hospital, and highlight the outcome of such injuries. METHOD: It was a one-year prospective study between June 2001 to May, 2002. 2122 patients were seen at the emergency room, 652 (30.7%) were treated for traumatic injuries. The mean age was 34.6+ 13.6 (SD). The male to female ratio was 2.9:1. RESULTS: Road traffic accident was the commonest cause of injury occurring in 541 patients (83%). The predominant injury was laceration in 261 patients (39.6%), then fractures in 237 patients (36.3%). Among those with fractures, 203 (85.3%) were close and 34 (14.5%) were open with lower limb fractures predominating. Lacerations were sutured in 198 patients and the remanding 63 closed secondarily. Most fractures were managed with closed manipulative reduction and application of Plaster of Paris cast. 43 had internal fixation. 259 patients (39.7%) were discharged within 24 hours, 216 patients (33.2%) admitted to the wards for further investigations and treatment, 129 (19.8%) took their discharge against medical advice, 14 (2.1%) were referred to other centres and 34 died. The mortality rate was 5.2%. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that trauma related injuries affected the productive age group of our society. The establishment of organized trauma centre was recommended. Nig Jnl Orthopaedics & Trauma Vol.2(1) 2003: 11-1