Toothache-Associated Illness Behaviour among Adults in Ondo State

Abstract

Background: Illness behaviour is the actions or reactions of an ailing individual trying to define his state of health with a view of obtaining physical or emotional relief from the illness. Toothache is the major symptom of dental caries and periodontal diseases. Understanding behavioural tendencies of the society will help public health practitioner and policy maker to know appropriate interventions in minimizing its impact on quality of life.

Objective: To determine toothache-associated illness behaviour among adult population in Ondo State.

Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted to determine toothache-associated illness behaviour among adults population in Ondo State. A self-administered questionnaire was used to recruit 400 respondents by a simple random sampling technique. Data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science version 26 (SPSS). Descriptive statistics, Chi-square were used. p-value <0.05 was considered significant.

Results: The survey revealed the average age of respondents was 30.39±9.8, with majority of the respondents were in the age group of 21-30years. More males were surveyed than females and majority having tertiary education. Respondents surveyed generally have poor toothache related illness behaviour. The major predictors of their illness behaviour were the intensity of the toothache (p=0.023); the age (p=0.018) and the type of intervention (p=0.017).   

Conclusion: This study highlighted the general poor illness behaviour in these communities, which was influenced by age, severity of toothache and socio-cultural belief. The necessity of timely intervention through community engagement by dental public health practitioners is paramount.