Nigerian Journal of Medical and Dental Education

Comparison of Oral Hygiene Status of Adult Individuals using Charcoal Toothbrushes and Regular Nylon Toothbrushes in a Nigerian Health Facility.

VO AMUH , AO EHIZELE , R ESEZOBOR — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Background: Poor periodontal health is a global concern that affects the quality of life. The high prevalence of periodontal disease in adolescents, adults, and older individuals makes it a public health concern. Although studies have been reported on the efficacy of charcoal-infused versus Nylon toothbrushes on plaque control, there appears there is a lack of consensus among documented reports. The objective of the study was to compare the oral hygiene status of individuals using a charcoal-infused toothbrush and a regular nylon bristle toothbrush.

Methods: This was a randomized clinical crossover study. This study recruited all consecutive participants who presented to the Department of Periodontics at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, for scaling and polishing, between the period of May 2022 to April 2023. Those with severe periodontal diseases and those who did not consent to participate were excluded from the study. Each participant made use of each toothbrush; Charcoal-infused (test group) versus Nylon toothbrush (control group). Participants were instructed to brush with either toothbrush and the same fluoride toothpaste, morning and evening after meals, for three minutes and with the modified Bass technique. They were recalled after three weeks for assessment and the PI, OHI-S, GI, and CPITN were recorded at baseline and after three weeks of the use of the toothbrushes. After six months of washout, the toothbrush was exchanged, and the same procedure and assessments were done. Data collected were Biodata (age, sex, marital status, occupation, education, and ethnic group) and records of PI, OHI-S, GI, and CPITN values. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were performed. A level of significance was set at p<0.05. All analysis was done with SPSS software version 26 (IBM, Armonk, New York, US).

Results: A total of twenty - two adults with a mean age of 32.82±12.19 years were recruited in this study. There was a statistically significant difference in the age distribution between the two toothbrush sequence categories (p=0.006). In the first period, the mean PI at baseline in participants who used Nylon Bristles was (1.36±0.51) reduced 3 weeks later to 1.00±0.01 (p=0.038). Participants who used Charcoal-infused toothbrushes had their baseline mean PI (1.91±1.22) reduced to 0.82±0.41 (p =0.01). During the second period, the baseline mean PI was 1.09±0.30 reduced to 0.45±0.52 (p=0.006) after the Nylon bristle toothbrush. While for the Charcoal-infused toothbrush, the mean baseline PI was (0.82±0.60) reduced to 0.27±0.47 over three weeks (p=0.002). The regular Nylon bristle toothbrush did not give a better OHI-S than the charcoal-infused toothbrush (p =0.806). Both toothbrushes impacted the plaque levels and oral hygiene status. However, there was no statistically significant difference in PI and OHI-S. (p =0.757, p =0.806, respectively) in comparison to either toothbrush after the three weeks of use.

Conclusion: A charcoal-infused toothbrush was not better than the Nylon bristle toothbrush in reducing plaque levels. and improving the oral hygiene status of participants in this study over three weeks. Although, plaque levels were minimized with the use of both the charcoal-infused bristles and nylon bristle toothbrushes. Oral hygiene status was also improved by the use of both interventional tools.

The Pattern of Utilization of Insecticide Treated Nets among Children Emergency Room Attendees in a Tertiary Hospital in Sagamu, Nigeria

SO AKODU , AF ADEKANMBI , TA OGUNLESI , OO OBA-DAINI , TD ASARE — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Background: Malaria is an important cause of morbidity and mortality among children in sub-Saharan Africa including Nigeria. The use of preventive measures such as the insecticide-treated nets plays a significant role in malaria control.

Objective: To determine the pattern of utilization of insecticide-treated nets among attendees of the Children Emergency Room in a tertiary hospital

Methods: It was a cross-sectional, descriptive, hospital-based study conducted at the Children Emergency Room (CHER) of the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, Nigeria.

Results: A total of 75 mother-child pairs were surveyed. The highest educational level of the caregivers was secondary school education for the fathers and mothers respectively. About two-in-five of the children (41.3%) slept under ITN. More of the children in the age category >5 – 10years (61.5%) used ITN. More female children (52.2%) compared with their male counterparts used ITN (p = 0.205). A higher proportion of children whose fathers had no formal education (75.0%) used ITN compared to those whose fathers had formal education (p = 0.019). A higher number of children from the urban area (47.3%) used ITN compared to those from rural area (25.0%) (p = 0.083).

Conclusion: The study observed that the utilization of ITNs was relatively high among the study participants, but its utilization was suboptimal compared to the Roll-Back-Malaria target.

Inter-Professional Harmony: An Evaluation of the Knowledge and Perception of Family Physicians by Other Healthcare Staff in a Tertiary Hospital in Nigeria

O ENABULELE — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Background: The Nigerian public health sector has been faced with the challenge of disharmony amongst members of the healthcare team, perhaps due to a lack of understanding of each health professional’s roles. Family physicians are expected to lead primary care teams through effective inter-professional collaboration with other team members. This study assessed the knowledge and perception of family physicians by other healthcare staff in the family medicine department of a tertiary hospital in Nigeria.

Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study of healthcare workers in the General Practice Clinic of a tertiary hospital in Nigeria. A pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire was used to obtain data on socio-demographics, knowledge, awareness and perception of family physicians from the respondents. IBM SPSS Statistics version 22.0 (Chicago, IL, USA) statistical software was used for data analysis.

Results: A total of 109 allied health care staff participated in this study, with a response rate of 97.3%. The mean age of participants was 39.1±6.8 years, with majority being females (70.6%), Nurses (28.4%), educated to tertiary level (90.8%), and in the 30-44-year age group (78.0%).

The overall knowledge and perception of family physicians and their scope of practice by other health care staff in the family medicine department was good, with over 70% knowing the scope and level of practice of family physicians. The respondents’ knowledge of family physicians had a significant association with their perception, with those who recorded good knowledge having good perception.

Conclusion: Though the overall knowledge and perception of family physicians by other health care staff was good, there is need to educate healthcare workers on the specialty of family medicine and its practitioners, so as to enhance team work and harmony between family physicians and other healthcare staff, with the aim of improving the quality of patient care.Family physician

Antimicrobial Stewardship Practice in Tertiary Hospitals of North Central Region of Nigeria

YJ PETER , MM YAKUBU — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Introduction: Antimicrobials are currently the most customarily prescribed drugs in the community as well as in healthcare settings. Since their introduction into clinical practice, inappropriate use of antimicrobials and associated AMR have become challenges faced by humans. Concern has been raised about low-quality practices; profit aspirations, non-enforcement of legislation and improper knowledge of the general population about this problem. In the past two decades, this issue has become increasingly urgent and constitutes a major threat to public health.

Methods: This study was conducted to identify current aspects and patterns to antimicrobial prescribing among Medical Doctors in the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Keffi and the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH), Gwagwalada in Nigeria. The objective for the study was to provide baseline data in the two hospitals and identify priorities for improvement. The questionnaire was targeted at 355 Medical doctors spread out as Consultants, 75; Resident doctors, 180 and House officer doctors, 100 from the two sites. Institutional Ethics Committee permission from each tertiary institution was obtained prior to the initiation of the study at site. The questionnaire interrogated several aspects of interest, demographic status, knowledge of antimicrobial classification, practical use of antimicrobials and knowledge of antimicrobial resistance.

Results: Of the one hundred and eighty questionnaires that were returned to us, one hundred and forty-two (78.88%) were returned with a signed consent page attached. Among these doctors, ninety-five were male (66.90%). As to workplace experience, 10 (7.0%) had up to 30 years of medical practice experience, Among these doctors, 40 (28.2%) are Consultants and 47 (33.1%) are House Officers, Of all the respondents, 130 (91.5%) are not aware of this NICE document, 10 (7.0%) individuals have discussed it within their units, but 4 (2.8%) individuals did not respond to the question. About 141 (99.29%) respondents accepted that antimicrobial resistance is a real threat to patient care except one (0.70%). Are you willing to participate in any clinical interventions involving antimicrobial use?’ One hundred and twenty-four (87.3%) doctors answered yes, 11 (7.7%) answered no, 3 (2.1%) were uncertain, while 4 (2.8%) did not respond to the question.

Conclusion: We concluded that antimicrobial stewardship is a dynamic programme, and that the tools for ASP if implemented diligently are the most effective means by which we may save ourselves from the looming disaster that AMR will cause.

Adermatoglyphia, A Biometric Identification Nightmare in a Developing Country. A Case Report of Finger Prints Challenge

JI EHIZONAGA , O BABALOLA , S EIDANGBE , E EHIKHAMENOR — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Objective: The case report describes the biometric finger print challenges faced by adermatoglyphia in a situation that uses only fingerprint as the biometric identifier.

Case Report: A 17-years old girl who presented with complaint of not having fingerprint and as such cannot enroll for her Joint Admission and Matriculation Board examination (JAMB). She claimed to always have peeling of her palms and itching without rash during dry season. Clinical examination revealed near absence of frictional ridges on all her fingers and palms. No other abnormalies detected clinically. Diagnosis of Adermatoglyphia was made and the patient was referred to Center for Forensic Program and DNA Studies where incomplete absence of fingerprint was confirmed. The toe print and lip prints which were completely present were evaluated, captured, classified and suggested to be used as biometric identifiers for this patient.

CONCLUSION: The need to promote awareness of adermatoglyphia among the populace and the inclusion of other biometric identifiers in agencies where biometric identification is required is further emphasize in this case report in order to ameliorate the plight of adermatoglyphia.