Tooth loss among habitual chewing-stick and plastic toothbrush users in the adult population of Mtwara, rural Tanzania1

Oral health in nursing students at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre teaching hospital in Moshi, Tanzania

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to determine the prevalence and severity of dental caries, oral hygiene levels and assessment of the oral health knowledge and practices of nursing students at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre teaching hospital in Moshi, Tanzania.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was done on 217 student nurse population at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre Teaching Hospital in Moshi, Tanzania in 2014. Ethical approval was obtained from the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College Ethical Committee. A questionnaire probing on socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge and practices on selected oral health issues was administered to the students. Students were also examined for oral hygiene and dental caries using Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S) and WHO 1997 recommended method respectively.

RESULTS

There were 214 (98.6%) respondents aged between 18 and 53 years (mean age was 27.2 SD ± 7.35 years). About 72% of the respondents were in the young age group (below 31 years), 63.1% were pursuing Diploma in Nursing while the rest were pursuing Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Although oral health knowledge of the respondents was generally poor, more students pursuing Bachelor of Science in Nursing had significant adequate oral health knowledge than those who were pursuing Diploma in Nursing (p = 0.05). Population Oral Hygiene Index- Simplified was 0.41 meaning good oral hygiene in the current population. Overall, caries prevalence was 40.2%. The mean population DMFT was 1.34 (SD ± 2.44). The decay component was 0.53 (SD ± 1.29), whereas the missing component was 0.67 (SD ± 1.34) and filled component was 0.14 (SD ± 0.69). Significantly more students in the older age group had more missing and filled teeth than their counterparts in the young age group (p ≤ 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Majority of the students in this population had good oral hygiene and a very low DMFT. There was poor basic oral health knowledge and poor recall visit to dental personnel. Curriculum development in these school programmes should strengthen or encompass comprehensive oral health education components. This will empower nursing professional with basic oral health knowledge and promotive oral health behaviors and hence to disseminate to the clients.

New curriculum in dentistry for Tanzania: competency-based education for patient and population health (2008-2011)

From 2008 to 2011, the School of Dentistry at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in Tanzania revised and then initiated implementation of a curriculum to improve the educational process for, and competence of, its graduates. As an increasing body of research demonstrates the detrimental effects of oral diseases on health and the interrelationships between oral and systemic diseases (including HIV and diabetes), the importance of dentistry education grows. We describe the population oral health problems in Tanzania, the need to enhance the dental workforce, and the process of curricular reform to meet these needs. This reform included transition to a competency-based curriculum featuring teaching methods that will enhance the effectiveness of the education and performance of graduates in traditional and new roles. We conclude with lessons for Tanzania and for health professions educational institutions elsewhere, as well as for public health-care planners concerned about linking health professions education to improving population health in resource-poor countries.

Risk factors for signs and symptoms of TMD in a rural adult southeast Tanzanian population

The aim of this study was to determine some risk factors for signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in a rural adult population of Southeast Tanzania. Two hundred and eighteen adults aged 40+ years participated in the study. Joint clicking was significantly higher (p < 0.024) in the adults aged 60+ years than in the younger age group. Limited jaw opening was higher in females than males (chi2 = 46.4 on 2 df; p < 0.001), and there was a significant association between the type of toothbrush and limitation in jaw opening (chi2 = 156.6 on 4 df; p < 0.001). The results suggest that the use of miswaki (chewing sticks) and advanced age are risk factors for the high prevalence of signs and symptoms of TMD in this rural population. Further studies are recommended to control for other confounding factors such as socio-economic status.