Perceived oral health status and treatment needs of dental auxiliaries

Libyan Journal of Medicine

Patrick I. Ojehanon²  Robinson Okechukwu⁴  Agnes Umoh²  Lawrence Igbinosa¹  Adebola O. Ehizele³  Osagie Akhionbare²  Clement C. Azodo³ 

[1] Department of Periodontics, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City.;Department of Periodontics, University of Benin, Benin City;Department of Periodontics, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City;Federal School of Dental Therapy and Dental Technology, Enugu, Nigeria.

关键词: Oral Health;    Status;    Dental Auxiliaries;   

DOI  :  

学科分类：医学（综合）

来源: Co-Action Publishing

【 摘 要 】

Objective: To determine the perceived oral health status and treatment needs of Nigerian dental therapists in training and dental technology students. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study of students from Federal School of Dental Therapy and Technology Enugu, Nigeria was conducted using self-administered questionnaire to obtain information on demography, self-reported oral health status, knowledge of impact of oral health on daily life activity, dental attendance and perceived dental need. Results: The perception of oral health status and treatment need of the two groups of dental auxiliaries was the same. Fewer respondents (27.3%) rated their oral health as excellent, while 50.4% rated their oral health as good. Majority (95.5%) agreed that oral health is a part of general health and 94.6% agreed that oral health has a role in daily life. Out of 81.4% that had previous dental treatment, scaling and polishing accounted for 66.1%. Presently, 48.8% think they need dental treatment ranging from scaling and polishing (33.9%), tooth restoration (10.3%), to extraction (1.2%). Conclusion: This survey revealed that most of the students are aware that oral health is a component of general health and that it has an impact on an individual’s daily life. More than half of the students perceived their oral health as good, but only a few knew that there is a need for a preventive approach to oral health as evident by the percentage that perceived scaling and polishing as a treatment need. Keywords: oral health; status; dental auxiliaries (Published: 15 March 2010) Citation: Libyan J Med 2010, 5: 4859 - DOI: 10.3402/ljm.v5i0.4859

【 授权许可】

Unknown