Background:There is evidence that self-medication practices among dental patients with toothache are common, and despite the adverse clinical consequences, there is a paucity of literature on it, and only few programs are available for its control.Aim:The aim was to assess the self-medication practices among adult dental patients suffering from toothache.Subjects and Methods:An instrument adapted from modified form of 117-item self-report questionnaire based on world Health Organization guidelines for students’ substance use survey and open-ended questionnaire was administered to adult patients attending the Dental and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinic of this Health Institution for a period of 6 months.Results:The results show that 80.6% (287/356) subjects indulged in self-medication practices. Majority of the patients 42.9% (123/287) were in the 2-4th decades of life, whereas the male: female ratio was 1.3:1. The most commonly abused medications/substance was analgesics/non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (243/287; 24.5%), antibiotics (233/287; 23.5%), “touch and go” (187/287; 18.8%). The practice of self-medication cut across all social strata, P < 0.01 (significant) and only 3.8% (11/287) subjects admitted knowledge of the dosage and side-effects of the used medications/substances. The toothache not being serious initially (112/287; 22.5%) and time constraints to attend dental clinic (93/287; 18.7%) were the major reasons for self-medication.Conclusion:This study suggests that the practice of self-medication is common among adult dental patients with toothache in Nigeria. This should be reduced to the barest minimum by dental health education, upgrading of dental health facilities, and enforcement of drug control mechanisms.
SUMMARYBackground: Odontogenic tumours occur in our environment and because of late treatment, cause considerable disabilities. Objective: To review cases of odontogenic tumours in our centre in order to obtain a baseline data and subsequently compare the results with that obtained elsewhere. Patients and methods: Using hospital case files and register, we carried out a 15-year retrospective study of odontogenic tumours at the Dental and Maxillofacial Clinic, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. The data documented include age, gender, duration of lesion, type of tumour, socio-economic class, type of surgery, and complaints during follow-up reviews. Results: Majority of the patients (n=49, 31.4%) were in the third decade of life. There were 85 (54.5%) males and 71 (45.5%) females, giving male to female ratio of 1.2:1. There was a significant association between the type of odontogenic tumour and the age of occurrence (p=0.000). The longer the duration of symptoms before presentation, the larger the tumours (p=0.000). The benign odontogenic tumours were 151 (96.8%), ameloblastoma (n=74, 47.4%) being the commonest. Jaw resection (54.5%) was the predominant treatment. Majority (58.0%) of the complications following treatment were Facial deformity, malocclusion and impaired mastication. Conclusion: Majority of the patients was in the lower socio-economic class, presented late for treatment and a few with aesthetic and functional impairment returned for secondary surgery. The intervention of agencies of government and non-governmental organizations is required to assist these patients if we are to accomplish the core healthcare system values in our environment.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.