African Journal of Oral Health

Effectiveness of an oral health education video to dispel myths and misconceptions associated with natal teeth in a rural Nigerian community

Olubunmi O. Bankole, Folake B. Lawal, Olushola Ibiyemi — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Objective: Innovative ways are imperative to dispel myths and misconceptions about natal teeth in rural communities and improve maternal and child health. The study aimed to test the effectiveness of Adunni a culturally appropriate video developed to dispel myths and misconceptions associated with natal teeth in a rural community. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted among mothers attending the immunization clinic of a rural Nigerian community. The participants were given a questionnaire to assess knowledge regarding prenatal teeth. They were then shown a video of Adunni, a 28-minute culturally appropriate video developed in the Yoruba language. Three weeks later, the same questionnaire was readministered to them. Their responses were evaluated pre- and post-intervention. Data obtained was analyzed using SPSS.

Results: A total of 44 participants were recruited with a mean age of 28.6 ± 8.2 years. Pre-intervention, 22 participants (50.0%) believed natal teeth were evil, while 16 (36.4%) thought it was due to individual variation. Post-intervention, only 3 participants (6.8%) considered it evil, and 41 (93.2%) viewed it as individual variation. This change was statistically significant (p<0.001). Overall, pre-intervention knowledge score ranged from 0 – 7 (mean score = 2.4 ± 2.0, 95% CI = 1.8 – 3.0) while post-intervention score ranged from 1 – 7 (mean score = 5.3 ± 1.8, 95% CI = 4.7 – 5.8). Paired T-test showed a statistically significant difference between pre-and post-intervention scores (mean difference = 2.9 ± 2.4, 95% CI = 2.1 – 3.6, t = 7.683, p < 0.001).

Conclusion: We found that Adunni, significantly improved the knowledge of causes and understanding of appropriate practices of participants in a rural community towards infants with natal teeth.

Determinants of chronic periodontitis among diabetes mellitus patients, attending Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja. Lagos.

O. O. Onigbinde — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Objective: To determine the prevalence and factors associated with chronic periodontal disease among diabetic patients.

Methods: A cross sectional study, subjects were diabetes mellitus patients attending the Diabetic clinic of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital participated in the study. Data collection was done using a self-administered, structured questionnaire and the oral examination was done according to the WHO 2013 Oral Health Surveys. Levels of fasting blood glucose were recorded. SPSS version 20 was used for data analysis; level of significance was set at p ≤ 0.05.

Results: One hundred and fifty-seven diabetic patients aged 28 to 85 years participated in the study of which 63.7% were females. The prevalence of periodontal disease among the participants was 82.8% (gingivitis 44.6% and periodontitis 38.2%). Significant risk factors for periodontitis were age, gender, and oral hygiene practice. Periodontitis was higher in participants ≥65 years old than the participants <65 years old (p=0.004). Periodontitis was significantly higher in males than in females (p=0.014).

Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that age, sex and oral health behavior are risk indicators of periodontitis in these diabetic participants. The study suggests that an increased age, being male and engaging in poor oral health practice increases the risk of periodontitis in participants with diabetes.

Normative oral health status and behaviour of preschool children aged 3-5 years olds in public and private schools In Ibadan

A. T Okeigar, C. A Akinyamoju, J. O Okeigar, O. O Denloye — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Objective: To describe the oral health status and behavior of children aged 3-5years in Ibadan.

Methods: This was a cross sectional study involving 430 children aged 3-5 years attending 15 public and 11 private schools. Socio-demographic and oral health behavior data were collected from caregivers/parents with a self-administered semi structured questionnaire. Each child was examined for dental caries, oral hygiene status, gingivitis, trauma, and malocclusion using a modified WHO oral assessment form. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used for data analysis on SPSS 20.0 at p<0.05.

Results: The mean age of the children was 4.3±0.8 years. Malocclusion was the commonest (59.3%) oral condition. Majority (64.2%) of them brush once a day, 92.1% use toothbrush and toothpaste with more than half being supervised. Children attending public schools had a poorer oral hygiene (p< 0.001). The mean decayed missing and filled teeth and oral hygiene status were 0.25±0.9 (Median= 2.0, IQR= 3.0) and 1.08±0.8 respectively. Children attending private schools are 0.19 times (p<0.001, CI-0.09-0.42) more likely to be supervised by an adult while brushing.

Conclusion: The commonest oral condition in the preschool children was malocclusion, those attending public schools had poorer oral hygiene as well as oral hygiene practices.