Knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding infection control measures among dental students during COVID-19 pandemic

Among health care professionals, dentists are more prone to infection due to their direct contact with blood and saliva. This study highlights the level of compliance with infection control measures among dental students; and linked this to their knowledge and attitudes regarding infection control measures and proper vaccinations. The study is a multi-centre analytical cross-sectional survey. The sample size was 969 clinical years' students from governmental and private dental colleges in Sudan and Saudi Arabia. A pre-coded, pre-tested, and anonymous questionnaire consisted of seven categories of knowledge, attitude, awareness, and practices, including 40 questions, was answered. The study has linked knowledge, attitude, and practice in dental clinics with possible COVID-19 transmission in dental clinics. The results showed that the use of some Personal Protective Equipment was low in Sudan and moderate in Saudi Arabia (statistically significant, p < 0.001). Moderate percentage of Hepatitis B vaccination status, with low percentage of Post HBV serology, was reported (p < 0.001). The percentages of major causes of percutaneous and/or eye exposure/injury, for examples, were as follows: anesthesia (33.3-62.7%, p 0.006) and suture needle (17.5-39.4%, p 0.037). In conclusion, dental students in the present study had good knowledge and positive attitudes regarding infection control in general, but showed moderate compliance with the recommended infection control guidelines.

Oral health status, knowledge and practice among pregnant women attending Omdurman maternity hospital, Sudan

Good oral health is important in pregnancy but little is known about the oral health and knowledge and practices of pregnant Sudanese women. This cross-sectional study was conducted to address this gap. A sample of 420 pregnant women attending the prenatal clinic at Omdurman maternity hospital were interviewed and examined for caries and periodontal disease. The mean age of the women was 27.1 (SD 5.8) years, 52.4% had > primary school education and 7.1% were employed. Only 12% had a high level of oral health knowledge and 21.2% a positive attitude towards oral health. Most of the women (65.9%) had poor oral health practices; only 10.2% had visited a dentist during pregnancy. On clinical examination, 58.6% had healthy gums while 12.1% had bleeding gums and 22.9% had calculus. The mean decayed, missing and filled teeth value was 1.16 in the age group 16-19 years and 3.49 in age group ≥ 20 years. These findings suggest the need for oral health programmes as part of prenatal care for pregnant Sudanese women.

Periodontal health status of 12-year-old Sudanese schoolchildren and educational level of parents in Khartoum province

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the oral hygiene practice, the prevalence of dental plaque, gingivitis and calculus among 12-year-old Sudanese schoolchildren in Khartoum province, and to correlate the above to gender and educational level of parents.

METHODS

A total of 636 children 12 years of age, whose parents granted permission, were examined from public and private schools in different geographical locations representing different socioeconomic classes in Khartoum province. The variables of this study had been collected by a single examiner using a direct interview questionnaire and clinical examination with appropriate indices. The intraexaminer reliability was (Alpha = 0.9321).

RESULTS

Regular brushing in 92.3%, irregular in 6.9% and no brushing in 0.8% of all children. The frequency of brushing was 81.4% once, 16.4% twice and 1.4% more than twice a day. For all children, 93.1% used the toothbrush while 3.9% used a Miswak. Concerning the technique of brushing, 14.3% brushed vertically, 82.7% brushed horizontally and only 2% brushed in a circular way. It was found that only 5.2% used other oral hygiene means (dental floss and tooth pick) for cleaning teeth. The results showed a high correlation between oral hygiene practices of the children and both parents' education (P = 0.001) as well as gender (P = 0.001). The mean of plaque index was (0.888), gingival index was (0.686) and calculus index was (0.107). In the entire sample these indices were found to differ significantly with sex (P = 0.000), parents' education (P = 0.000) and brushing practice (P = 0.000).)

CONCLUSION

It was recommended that, providing intensive advice and supervision concerning oral hygiene practices through public and school health care is mandatory. Other studies for rural and urban areas of different age groups should be done for comparisons.

Severity of dental caries among 12-year-old Sudanese children with different fluoride exposure

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of fluoride on the severity of caries among children exposed to different concentrations of fluoride in the drinking water and living in rural areas in the Sudan. Permanently resident schoolchildren (n = 299) aged 11-13 years from three villages were clinically examined under field conditions. The caries criterion was teeth in need of extraction or extracted; only molars were recorded. Dental fluorosis was scored on all buccal tooth surfaces by the Thylstrup and Fejerskov index. The fluoride concentrations of the drinking water were assessed in samples (n = 25) collected from wells and households. Predictors of caries were assessed by logistic regression analyses. There was no significant difference regarding age and gender distribution between the areas (P > 0.05, df = 2, Kruskal-Wallis test). The socio-economic conditions in these villages were presumed to be equal. Significantly different fluoride concentrations in the drinking water were verified by the severity of dental fluorosis. Children in Abu Delaig, drinking water with 1.0-2.0 mg fluoride/L (median = 1.8), had significantly higher caries prevalence (21% versus 8%) than in a 0.4 mg fluoride area. Area was the only significant predictor for caries; odds ratio 3.7 for children in Abu Delaig compared with the low fluoride area. There was no difference in caries prevalence between the lowest and the highest fluoride (2.9 mg) area. This study failed to demonstrate an effect of fluoride in drinking water on caries experience when the end point was molars indicated for extraction or missing because of caries.