Pattern and surface prevalence of dental caries on posterior teeth of children in a Nigerian teaching hospital

Objective: Knowledge of the pattern of dental caries in children is important in the designing of preventive clinical procedures, community-based programmes and formulation of appropriate treatment strategies for these children. This study therefore described the pattern and surface prevalence of dental caries on the posterior teeth of children attending Paedodontic clinic of University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. Method: All children aged 5 – 12 years attending the clinic for the first time within a period of 24 months (2005 – 2007) were examined clinically and radiographically (using bitewing radiographs) for dental caries. Tooth types and tooth surfaces affected were recorded and data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 11. Result: The results showed that the most frequently affected tooth surface in primary teeth was approximal surface (58.6%) followed by occlusal surface (39.9%) while in permanent teeth, the reverse was the case (occlusal = 77.0%, approximal = 15.0%). The second primary molars were found to be more affected than first molars in primary dentition while first permanent molars were the most affected in permanent teeth. The distribution of dental caries was higher in the lower jaw than the upper jaw. There was a slight difference in sex predilection with females having higher mean dmft/DMFT than males, though this was not statistically significant. The aged group mostly affected was 5 – 8 years with mean dmft and DMFT of 2.68±1.84 and 0.21±0.54 respectively. Conclusion: The high occurrence of approximal caries in primary teeth observed revealed the need for the use of bitewing radiographs for early detection of such lesions while the high occurrence of occlusal caries in permanent dentition showed the need to design preventive clinical procedures such as the placement of fissure sealants on first molars so as to prevent occurrence of occlusal caries in high risk children. Key words: Dental caries, surface prevalence, posterior teeth, children     

Influence of Parental Socioeconomic Status on Caries Prevalence Among Children Seen at the University College Hospital, Ibadan

Background: Dental caries is a lifetime disease and its sequelae havebeen found to constitute health problems of immense proportion in children. Environmental factors such as culture, socioeconomic status, lifestyle and dietary pattern can have a great impact on cariesresistanceor caries-development in a child.Objective: The present study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between dental caries and socioeconomic status of children attending paediatric dental clinic in UCH Ibadan.Methods: Socio-demographic data for each child that attended paediatric dental clinic, UCH Ibadan within a period of one year was obtained and recorded as they presented in the dental clinic, followed by oral  examination for each of them in the dental clinic to detect decayed, missing and filled deciduous and permanent teeth (dmft and DMFT respectively).Results: The mean dmft and DMFT score for the 209 children seen within period of study were 1.58 + 2.4 and 0.63+1.3 respectively. Highest caries prevalence (46.9%) was found within the high social class while the caries prevalence in middle and low social class were 40.5% and 12.6%  respectively. The highest dmft/DMFT of >7 was recorded in two children belonging to high social class. The difference in dmft in the three social classes was statistically significant (x 2 = 51.86,p= 0.008) but for DMFT, it was not statistically significant (x2 = 6.92, p = 0.991).Conclusion: Caries experience was directly related to socio-economicstatus of the parents of the studied children with highest caries prevalence in high and middle socioeconomic classes.Keywords: Dental Caries and Socioeconomic status

An International Investigation of Molar Incisor Hypomineralisation (iMIH) and Its Association with Dental Anomalies: Development of a Protocol

Background: Molar incisor hypomineralisation (MIH) is a common disorder of tooth development, which has recently been found to be associated with a higher prevalence of hypodontia. The aim of this international multicentre study is to determine the association between MIH and other developmental anomalies in different populations. Methods: Investigators were trained and calibrated for the assessment of MIH and dental anomalies and ethical approvals obtained in each participating country. The study aimed to recruit 584 children with MIH and 584 children without MIH. Patients aged 7–16 years who attend specialist clinics will be invited to participate. Children will undergo a clinical examination to determine the presence and severity of MIH, using an established index. The presence of any other anomalies, affecting tooth number, morphology, or position, will be documented. Panoramic radiographs will be assessed for dental anomalies and the presence of third permanent molars. Statistical analysis, using a chi squared test and regression analysis, will be performed to determine any differences in dental anomaly prevalence between the MIH and non-MIH group and to determine any association between dental anomalies and patient characteristics. Conclusion: This large-scale study has the potential to improve understanding about MIH with benefits for patient management

Associations between Emotional Distress, Sleep Changes, Decreased Tooth Brushing Frequency, Self-Reported Oral Ulcers and SARS-Cov-2 Infection during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Global Survey

This study assessed the association between emotional distress, sleep changes, decreased frequency of tooth brushing, and self-reported oral ulcers, and the association between COVID-19 status and decreased frequency of tooth brushing. Using a cross-sectional online survey, data were collected from adults in 152 countries between July and December 2020. Binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the associations between dependent (decreased frequency of tooth brushing, oral ulcers, change in sleep pattern) and independent (tested positive for COVID-19, depression, anxiety, frustration/boredom, loneliness, anger, and grief/feeling of loss) variables after adjusting for confounders (age, sex, level of education, employment status). Of the 14,970 participants data analyzed, 1856 (12.4%) tested positive for COVID-19. Respondents who reported feeling depressed (AoR: 1.375), lonely (AoR: 1.185), angry (AoR: 1.299), and experienced sleep changes (AoR:1.466) had significantly higher odds of decreased tooth brushing frequency. Respondents who felt anxious (AoR: 1.255), angry (AoR: 1.510), grief/sense of loss (AoR: 1.236), and sleep changes (AoR: 1.262) had significantly higher odds of oral ulcers. Respondents who tested positive for COVID-19 had significantly higher odds of decreased tooth brushing frequency (AoR: 1.237) and oral ulcers (AoR: 2.780). These findings highlight that the relationship between emotional distress and oral health may intensify during a pandemic.</p

Is self-reported depression, HIV status, COVID-19 health risk profile and SARS-CoV-2 exposure associated with difficulty in adhering to COVID-19 prevention measures among residents in West Africa?

Background: The aim of this study was to determine whether self-reported depression, coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) health risk profile, HIV status, and SARS-CoV-2 exposure were associated with the use of COVID-19 prevention measures.Methods: This survey collected data electronically between June 29 and December 31, 2020 from a convenient sample of 5050 adults 18 years and above living in 12 West African countries. The dependent variables were: social distancing, working remotely, difficulty obtaining face masks and difficulty washing hands often. The independent variables were self-reported depression, having a health risk for COVID-19 (high, moderate and little/no risk), living with HIV and COVID-19 status (SARS-CoV-2 positive tests, having COVID-19 symptoms but not getting tested, having a close friend who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and knowing someone who died from COVID-19). Four binary logistic regression models were developed to model the associations between the dependent and independent variables, adjusting for socio-demographic variables (age, gender, educational status, employment status and living status).Results: There were 2412 (47.8%) male participants and the mean (standard deviation) age was 36.94 (11.47) years. Respondents who reported depression had higher odds of working remotely (AOR: 1.341), and having difficulty obtaining face masks (AOR: 1.923;) and washing hands often (AOR: 1.263). People living with HIV had significantly lower odds of having difficulty washing hands often (AOR: 0.483). Respondents with moderate health risk for COVID-19 had significantly higher odds of social distancing (AOR: 1.144) and those with high health risk had difficulty obtaining face masks (AOR: 1.910). Respondents who had a close friend who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (AOR: 1.132) and knew someone who died of COVID-19 (AOR: 1.094) had significantly higher odds of social distancing. Those who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 had significantly lower odds of social distancing (AOR: 0.629) and working remotely (AOR: 0.713). Those who had symptoms of COVID-19 but did not get tested had significantly lower odds of social distancing (AOR: 0.783) but significantly higher odds of working remotely (AOR: 1.277).Conclusions: The study signifies a disparity in the access to and use of COVID-19 preventative measures that is allied to the health and COVID-19 status of residents in West Africa. Present findings point to risk compensation behaviours in explaining this outcome.</p

Associations between COVID-19 testing status, non-communicable diseases and HIV status among residents of sub-Saharan Africa during the first wave of the pandemic

Background: This study determined if non-communicable disease status, HIV status, COVID-19 status and co-habiting were associated with COVID-19 test status in sub-Saharan Africa.Methods: Data of 5945 respondents age 18-years-old and above from 31 countries in sub-Saharan Africa collected through an online survey conducted between June and December 2020, were extracted. The dependent variable was COVID-19 status (testing positive for COVID-19 and having symptoms of COVID-19 but not getting tested). The independent variables were non-communicable disease status (hypertension, diabetes, cancer, heart conditions, respiratory conditions, depression), HIV positive status, COVID-19 status (knowing a close friend who tested positive for COVID-19 and someone who died from COVID-19) and co-habiting (yes/no). Two binary logistic regression models developed to determine associations between the dependent and independent variables were adjusted for age, sex, employment, sub region and educational status.Results: Having a close friend who tested positive for COVID-19 (AOR:6.747), knowing someone who died from COVID-19 infection (AOR:1.732), and living with other people (AOR:1.512) were significantly associated with higher odds of testing positive for COVID-19 infection, while living with HIV was associated with significantly lower odds of testing positive for COVID-19 infection (AOR:0.284). Also, respondents with respiratory conditions (AOR:2.487), self-reported depression (AOR:1.901), those who had a close friend who tested positive for COVID-19 infection (AOR:2.562) and who knew someone who died from COVID-19 infection (AOR:1.811) had significantly higher odds of having symptoms of COVID-19 infection but not getting tested.Conclusion: Non-communicable diseases seem not to increase the risk for COVID-19 positive test while cohabiting seems to reduce this risk. The likelihood that those who know someone who tested positive to or who died from COVID-19 not getting tested when symptomatic suggests there is poor contact tracing in the region. People with respiratory conditions and depression need support to get tested for COVID-19.</p

Factors Associated With Experiences of Fear, Anxiety, Depression, and Changes in Sleep Pattern During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Adults in Nigeria: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Multiple facets of the pandemic can be a source of fear, depression, anxiety and can cause changes in sleep patterns. The aim of this study was to identify health profiles and the COVID-19 pandemic related factors associated with fear, depression, anxiety and changes in sleep pattern in adults in Nigeria.Methods: The data for this analysis was extracted from a cross-sectional online survey that collected information about mental health and well-ness from a convenience sample of adults 18 years and above resident in Nigeria from July to December 2020. Study participants were asked to complete an anonymous, closed-ended online questionnaire that solicited information on sociodemographic profile, health profiles (high, moderate and low COVID-19 infection risk profile) including HIV status, COVID-19 status, and self-reported experiences of fear, anxiety, depression and changes in sleep patterns.Results: In total, 4,439 participants with mean age of 38.3 (±11.6) years responded to the survey. Factors associated with higher odds of having COVID-19 related fear were health risk (p p p p Conclusion: The study findings suggest that the pandemic may cause fear, anxiety, depression and changes in sleep patterns differently for people with different health profile, HIV status and COVID-19 status.</p

Large expert-curated database for benchmarking document similarity detection in biomedical literature search

Document recommendation systems for locating relevant literature have mostly relied on methods developed a decade ago. This is largely due to the lack of a large offline gold-standard benchmark of relevant documents that cover a variety of research fields such that newly developed literature search techniques can be compared, improved and translated into practice. To overcome this bottleneck, we have established the RElevant LIterature SearcH consortium consisting of more than 1500 scientists from 84 countries, who have collectively annotated the relevance of over 180 000 PubMed-listed articles with regard to their respective seed (input) article/s. The majority of annotations were contributed by highly experienced, original authors of the seed articles. The collected data cover 76% of all unique PubMed Medical Subject Headings descriptors. No systematic biases were observed across different experience levels, research fields or time spent on annotations. More importantly, annotations of the same document pairs contributed by different scientists were highly concordant. We further show that the three representative baseline methods used to generate recommended articles for evaluation (Okapi Best Matching 25, Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency and PubMed Related Articles) had similar overall performances. Additionally, we found that these methods each tend to produce distinct collections of recommended articles, suggesting that a hybrid method may be required to completely capture all relevant articles. The established database server located at https://relishdb.ict.griffith.edu.au is freely available for the downloading of annotation data and the blind testing of new methods. We expect that this benchmark will be useful for stimulating the development of new powerful techniques for title and title/abstract-based search engines for relevant articles in biomedical research.Peer reviewe

Simultaneious occurrence of periodontal disease and dental caries in Ibadan seconday school children

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Odontogenic tumours in Children and Adilescents: A Review od Forty-Eight Cases

Objectives: Odontogenic tumours comprise a large heterogeneous group of lesions originating from odontogenic epithelium and/or ectomesenchyme and its vestiges. The aim of this study was to analyze odontogenic tumours in children and adolescents seen at a tertiary institution in South Western Nigeria and compare with results from previous studies.Material and Methods: Archival records of the Department of Oral Pathology, University College Hospital Ibadan were reviewed. All histologically diagnosed odontogenic tumours in patients 19 years and below spanning a period of 21 years (1990-2011) were retrieved. Data regarding age, gender, and tumor topography were analyzed using SPSS for Window (version 18.0; SPSS Inc. Chicago, IL)Results: One hundred and forty seven jaw swellings were seen in children and adolescents aged 19 or less during the study period, out of which 48 (32.7%) were odontogenic tumours. More cases were seen in males than females with a male: female ratio of 7:5. The mandible was the commonest site of occurrence with mandible: maxilla ratio of 11:4. Ameloblastoma was the commonest odontogenic tumours with 14 (29.1%) solid ameloblastoma and 9 (18.8%) cystic ameloblastoma cases followed by fibromyxoma with 8 (16.7%) cases. calcifying epithelial odontogenic tumour , calcifying cystic odontogenic tumour and odontogenic fibroma were occasionally seen.Conclusion: This study showed that ameloblastoma was the most common odontogenic tumour in children and no case of odontoma was seen. Odontogenic tumours in children and adolescents may not be as rare as previously reported by some authors and inclusion of keratocystic odontogenic tumour in this study slightly affected the relative incidence of odontogenic tumors in children and adolescents.Keywords: Adolescents, Children, Odontogenic tumour