Oral Hygiene Practices, Dental Service Utilization and Treatment Needs of Hypertensive Patients attending a Nigerian Tertiary Hospital – A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Recently, hypertension has been linked to periodontitis. This study aims to assess the oral hygiene practices, dental utilisation and treatment needs of hypertensive patients attending the cardiology clinic of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH).

Methods: An interviewer questionnaire was used to collect information from the participants. The questionnaire had two sections. Section A had questions about sociodemographic and Section B had questions on participants’ oral health practices, dental service utilisation and treatment needs. Statistical analysis was done using the Statistical Product and Service Solution (IBM SPSS) version 25.0. P values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

Results: There were 115 participants (55 [47.8%] males and 60 [52.2%] females). Ninety-seven (84.3%) participants brushed once daily, 93 (80.9%) participants used toothbrushes with fluoride toothpaste, and 4 (3.5%) participants used chewing sticks. Among participants who used toothbrushes as cleaning aids, 53 (47.7%) used medium-textured toothbrushes, while 24 (21.6%) used hard toothbrushes. Ninety (78.3%) participants used interdental cleaning aids, among whom 75 (83.3%) participants used toothpicks. Concerning previous dental visitation, 59 (51.3%) participants visited the dental clinic; among these, 30 (50.8%) participants visited for extractions. Concerning treatment needs of the participants, 31 (27.0%) participants had dental complaints, among these, 15 (48.4%) participants had pain. Concerning gender, 36 (60.0%) females and 23 (41.8%) males visited the dental clinic previously (p = 0.051). Regarding educational status, 8 (72.7%) participants with primary education never attended dental clinic, while 3 (60.0%) participants with tertiary education visited the dental clinic. (p = 0.229).

Conclusion: Most of the participants brushed once daily, using the horizontal brushing technique. A little above half of the participants visited the dental clinic, with the majority visiting for dental pain. The young age group, females, and participants with tertiary education visited the dental clinic more.