Loice W Gathece

An audit of ranulae occurring with the human immunodeficiency virus infecton.

Currently, published literature has increasingly projected the ranula as a lesion that may be closely associated with exposure to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In this report, we document 28 patients who presented with ranulae, among whom 19 were HIV infected. In some, this was the only lesion that was the sentinel sign of HIV infection. Most probably, this lesion could be considered as one of the clinical markers of this infection.

Clinical features and types of paediatric orofacial malignant neoplasms at two hospitals in Nairobi, Kenya.

AIM To evaluate the clinical features and histopathological types of orofacial malignant neoplasms in children. PATIENTS AND METHODS The study involved patients aged 15 years and below diagnosed with malignancy at two main referral hospitals in Kenya during the period from July, 2008 to December, 2008. A questionnaire and clinical examination chart were used to document data. Data analysis was done using SPSS 12.0 programme. RESULTS 65 children (44 males, 21 females) with ages ranging from 0.25 to 14 years were evaluated. The main complaints were swelling 61 (94%) and visual disturbance 29 (45%). The mean duration of symptoms was 0.17-36 months. The commonest signs were leucocoria (white reflection from the retina) 23 (35%), proptosis 19 (29%) and loss of vision 15 (23%). The commonest sites were orbit 30 (46%) and maxilla 11 (17%). Most neoplasms were retinoblastoma 26 (40%), followed by 14 (21%) cases of Burkitts lymphoma (BL) and occurred in patients under 5 years of age (40 cases) followed by 19 cases in children aged 5-10 years. CONCLUSIONS Overall, malignancies were more common in males than females with most having been diagnosed in children aged less than 10 years. Retinoblastoma and BL were the most common neoplasms.

Effect of Homemade Dental Powder on Population of Streptococcus Mutans In vitro

Background: Dental caries is a very common disease, and this study was conductedto identify the optimum concentration of a homemade dental powder that could be used to prevent dental caries. The formulation for this dental powder was inspired from an ancient Indian powder which is still being used in remote areas where modern dentifrices are not available. The dental powder is homemade, with its four main constituents being alum, turmeric, cloves and salt all ground into a fine powder . Objective: The aim of the study was to study the effect of a homemade dental powder on a population of Streptococcus mutans. Study design: This was arandomized controlled laboratory study. Setting: The study was carried out in the histopathology laboratory, School of Dental Sciences, University of Nairobi. Materials and methods: Streptococcus mutans were cultured and the disc diffusion technique employed, where the discs had various concentrations of the dental powder, alum, turmeric, cloves and salt, which was made by titrating with distilled water so as to form a spectrum of concentrations. The diameters of the clear zones on the agar plates were then measured to assess the effect of the dental powder on the bacterial population. Results: At a concentration of 5 g/100 ml, the alum and salt showed clear zones of 5 mm which is equivalent to that of the negative control. The clear zone of the dental powder, turmeric and cloves was greater than that of distilled water, but less than that of the 2% chlorhexidine (14.6 mm). At 7.5 g/100 ml and 10 g/100 ml, salt still had a clear zone of 5 mm, and the rest of the ingredients had clear zones of greater than 5 mm, but less than 14.6 mm. At 12.5 g/100 ml, all ingredients had clear zones of greater than 5mm, and those of the dental powder and cloves were greater than 14.6 mm, while at 15 g/100 ml, in addition to cloves and powder, salt also had a clear zone of greater than 14.6 mm. Conclusion: The dental powder, alum, turmeric, cloves and salt all showed antimicrobial activity against Streptococcus mutans. The dental powder showed highest activity, followed by cloves, salt, alum and turmeric.

Occurence of Porphyromonas gingivalis and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans in subgingival plaque among patients with periodontal disease at the University of Nairobi Dental Hospital

Background: Cancer of cervix is the third leading gynaecological malignancy in the world and the leading cause of deaths in sub-Saharan Africa. Cancer of cervix can completely be treated with early diagnosis. Approaches to reduce related morbidity and mortality include screening for cervical cancer and administration of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine to HPV non-infected females to trigger host resistance. The uptake of HPV vaccine globally has been reported to be less than 1%. Objectives: To assess the level and identify determinants of awareness of HPV vaccines among the participants Design: Cross sectional descriptive study. Setting: Umoja Estate in Embakasi, Nairobi County, Kenya. Subjects: Three hundred and eighty four (384) eligible respondents were randomly recruited into the study. Results: Most of the respondents (72%) were aged between 18 and 31 years and 42% had attained tertiary education. Fivety six point eight percent were married and 33.1% were unemployed. More than one third (38%) had monthly income of less than 20,000 Ksh (US

Effect of health education on oral hygiene and gingival status of persons living with HIV attending comprehensive care centres in Nairobi, Kenya

220). Majority (60.2%) had no medical insurance cover. Only 2.3% had had HPV vaccine despite a higher awareness level of 25.8%. There was strong association between awareness about HPV vaccine and age (P=0.000); having children (p= 0.010); level of education (p=0.000); marital status (p= 0.054); having insurance (p=0.000); occupation (p=0.000) and monthly income (p=0.000). Conclusion: There was low awareness of HPV among the study population. No sensitisation programme existed in the area of study.We present a middle aged lady positive HIV who developed liver disease one year after initiation of anti-retroviral therapy (ART). Laboratory and histo pathology finding supported a diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). She responded well to immuno-suppressive therapy and is currently doing well on maintenance therapy for AIH and the initial ART regimen.

Nutritional and Oral Health status of an Elderly Population in Nairobi

The study aimed to describe the effect of an oral health education intervention on oral hygiene status and gingival inflammation among persons with HIV attending two comprehensive healthcare centres in Nairobi, Kenya. This was a quasi-experimental study of 195 participants (with 102 in the intervention group, and 93 serving as the control group) who were selected using stratified random sampling. The data were collected at baseline, at three months (review 1), and at six months (review 2) using an interviewer-administered World Health Organization clinical examination form. The prevalence of plaque among the participants in the intervention decreased from 70.6% to 18.6%, with a significant decrease in their mean plaque score, from 0.89 to 0.15. The prevalence of gingival inflammation in the intervention group decreased from 58.2% to 12.7%, with a significant decrease in the mean gingival score, from 0.66 to 0.11. No significant change in degree of oral hygiene and gingival inflammation was observed among the non-intervention group. There was a strong association between the change in the mean gingival score and the change in the mean plaque score between baseline and at six months for the intervention group. The regression analysis yielded a coefficient of determination (r2) of 0.76; therefore, 76% of the variation in change in gingival score was explained by the variables in the equation. Only the change in mean plaque score was a significant predictor of the change in gingival score.