Background:Management of children’s behavior is an integral component of pediatric dental practice.Objective:To investigate the oral health care providers’ awareness, use and factors for choice of behavior management techniques when attending paediatric dental patients.Methods:A cross-sectional study among dental practitioners in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Data collection was done through interview using a structured questionnaire. The recorded information included: awareness and application of behavior management techniques (BMT) when attending a child dental patient, factors influencing choice of a particular technique, socio-demographics, level of professional training, working experience and facility profile. Using SPSS program version 18, frequency distributions and cross tabulations analyses were performed.Results:74 dental practitioners participated in the study, of whom 49 (66.2%) were males and 44 (59.5%) were graduates. Most participants were aware of the behavior management techniques, ranging from 100% for Tell-Show-Do to 86% for distraction. A small proportion (9.5%) reported to have adequate skills, all of them were graduates. The use of universally accepted BMTs was reported by 65% of experienced practitioners, 61% of graduates, 59% of those reporting to have received formal training and all of those reporting to have fair/inadequate skills to apply BMTs (p= 0.01).Conclusion:Most participants were aware of BMTs, although few acknowledged having adequate skills to apply the techniques. They use BMTs during treatment of paediatric dental patients and their choice of the technique is mainly influenced by children’s factors.
BACKGROUND: Several local and systemic symptoms have been associated with teething in infants. AIM: To determine the symptoms associated with infant teething and related practices among Mbagala residents in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. METHODS: A cross sectional descriptive study involving 200 mothers with their children aged 6-36 months. A structured questionnaire was used to inquire on the local and systemic symptoms associated with teething and measures taken by the parents in the event their children get those symptoms. Data entry and analysis was done using an SPSS program version 11.0. RESULTS: Ninety-seven percent of the participants believe that teeth emergence is associated with some systemic disturbances, mostly recurrent fevers (83.5%) and diarhoea (73%). Other often associated symptoms were runny nose (17.5%), increased body temperature (16.5%) and excessive salivation/drooling (11.9%). Sixty percent of the parents stated that their children had suffered some symptoms related to teething. Most of them were sent to hospital for management or were given self medication. CONCLUSION: The results of this study show that fever, diarrhoea, gingival swelling, gum irritation and redness are the symptoms often associated with teething. Most of the children who had suffered teething symptoms were taken to hospital.
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