Temitope Ayodeji Esan

Socio-demographic factors and edentulism: the Nigerian experience

BackgroundThe rate of total edentulism is said to be increasing in developing countries and this had been attributed mainly to the high prevalence of periodontal diseases and caries. Several reports have shown that non-disease factors such as attitude, behavior, dental attendance, characteristics of health care systems and socio-demographic factors play important roles in the aetiopathogenesis of edentulism. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between socio-demographic factors and edentulism.MethodsA total of 152 patients made up of 80 (52.6%) males and 72 (47.4%) females who presented in two prosthetic clinics located in an urban and a rural area were included in the study. The relationship between gender, age, socio-economic status and edentulism in this study population was established.ResultsNo significant relationship between gender and denture demand was noted in the study. The demand for complete dentures increased with age while the demand for removable partial dentures also increased with age until the 3rd decade and then started to decline. A significant relationship was found between denture demand and the level of education with a higher demand in lower educational groups (p < 0.001). In addition, the lower socio-economic group had a higher demand more for prostheses than the higher group.ConclusionsThe findings in this study revealed a significant relationship between socio-demographic variables and edentulism with age, educational level and socio-economic status playing vital roles in edentulism and denture demand.

Relationship between socio-demographic and anthropometric variables and number of erupted primary teeth in suburban Nigerian children

The socio-demographic and anthropometric variables could influence the number of teeth present in the childs mouth. To determine the effect of anthropometric and socio-demographic variables on the number of erupted primary teeth, a cross-sectional study was performed involving 1013 children aged between 4 and 36 months who attended the immunization clinics in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Statistical analyses were performed using STATA. The analyses included frequencies, cross-tabulations, chi squared test and t-test. The number of erupted teeth was modelled as the dependent variable in a multiple regression (Binomial) model, and the socio-demographic (age, gender and socio-economic status) and anthropometric variables, such as weight and height at presentation, as predictor variables. Statistical significance was inferred at P < 0.05. The age and height at presentation had significant association with the number of erupted teeth in this study population (P < 0.001). Also children from high socio-economic class in relation to low socio-economic class had significant larger number of erupted teeth in this study population (P < 0.001). The age and height of the child at presentation were significantly related to the number of erupted teeth. Also children from high socio-economic class had significant lager number of erupted teeth compared with children from low socio-economic class.

Brief communication: Emergence chronology of permanent teeth in Nigerian children

This study measured the mean age, duration, and sequence of the emergence of permanent dentition in Nigerian children and compared the findings with other population groups. The cross-sectional study involved 1,078 Nigerian children, aged 4-16 years old, from selected primary and secondary schools in the Ife Central local government area in Ile-Ife, Osun State. In general, compared to boys, girls had an earlier mean age of emergence of all the permanent teeth. Children from high socioeconomic class had an earlier mean age of emergence for the maxillary incisors (6.43 and 7.58 years) and mandibular incisors (5.28 and 6.44 years) compared to children from middle and low socioeconomic classes, although socioeconomic effects were more mixed for premolars and molars. Compared to their counterparts in the USA, Australia, Belgium, and Iran, Nigerian children showed an earlier mean age of emergence of all the permanent teeth studied except for Pakistani boys, who had an earlier mean age of emergence of the maxillary premolars and second molar. Poorer economic status has been associated with delayed dental development; however, when compared to other populations, the Nigerian children in this study have earlier mean emergence ages than children from wealthier countries such as the USA and Australia.

Breastfeeding pattern and eruption of primary teeth in Nigerian children

Abstract Various aspects of human growth and development have been reported to be adversely affected by malnutrition in early life. Opinion is still divided regarding the role of nutritional status in dental development. The study was carried out to determine the effect of breastfeeding pattern on the eruption times of primary teeth. The study population consisted of 1,013 clinically healthy babies, infants and preschool children between the ages 4–36 months who visited the immunization clinics at the Community Health Centres in Ife Central and Ife East Local Government Areas. Primary teeth erupted earlier in children who were exclusively breastfed when compared to those who were partially breastfed ( P P

Pattern of tooth loss in Nigerian children: A national survey

Abstract Aim To determine the causes of tooth loss among Nigerian Children. Methods The study was cross sectional. Study population consisted of 557 children aged 1 to 16 years from six tertiary hospitals from each of the six geopolitical zones of the country as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. The reasons for extractions of teeth in the children for a period of twelve months were obtained including the age, gender and the type of tooth/teeth extracted. Results Seven hundred and fifty teeth were extracted for various reasons during the study period. Majority (55.5%) were extracted because of dental caries, 22.8% for orthodontic reasons, 12.0% for trauma and 6.3% for periodontal disease. More primary teeth (52.7%) were extracted than the permanent teeth in the children. Dental caries was the major cause of extraction of teeth in the south south, south east, north east, north central and the north west zones. While in the south west zone it was malocclusion. In the FCT, periodontal disease was the main reason for extraction of teeth. Conclusion Dental caries is still the major cause of tooth loss with the mandibular first permanent molar being the tooth mostly affected. Periodontal disease as a cause of tooth loss in children is on the decrease while there is an increase in orthodontic reasons and trauma.