BackgroundWe aimed to assess the oral health status and risk factors for dental caries and periodontal disease among Sudanese adults resident in Khartoum State. To date, this information was not available to health policy planners in Sudan.MethodsA descriptive population-based survey of Sudanese adults aged ≥ 16 years was conducted. After stratified sampling, 1,888 adult patients from public dental hospitals and dental health centres scattered across Khartoum State, including different ethnic groups present in Sudan, were examined in 2009-10. Data were collected using patient interviews and clinical examinations. Dental status was recorded using the DMFT index, community periodontal index (CPI), and a validated tooth wear index.ResultsCaries prevalence was high, with 87.7% of teeth examined having untreated decay. Periodontal disease increased in extent and severity with age. For 25.8% of adults, tooth wear was mild; 8.7% had moderate and 1% severe toothwear. Multivariate analysis revealed that decay was less prevalent in older age groups but more prevalent in southern tribes and frequent problem based attenders; western tribes and people with dry mouths who presented with less than18 sound, untreated natural teeth (SUNT). Older age groups were more likely to present with tooth wear; increasing age and gender were associated with having periodontal pocketing ≥ 4 mm.ConclusionsThe prevalence of untreated caries and periodontal disease was high in this population. There appear to be some barriers to restorative dental care, with frequent use of dental extractions to treat caries and limited use of restorative dentistry. Implementation of population-based strategies tailored to the circumstances of Sudanese population is important to improve oral health status in Sudan.

The aims of this study were to develop a Sudanese-Arabic version of the English-language Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14), assess the psychometric properties and performance of this new instrument, and then use it to investigate the impacts of selected oral disorders on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). Sudanese adolescents and adults (age, ≥ 16 years; 781 males and 1107 females) attending outpatient clinics in Khartoum State were enrolled. The OHIP-14 was adapted, and the validity and reliability of the Sudanese-Arabic version of the questionnaire (OHIP-14s-ar) were assessed. The OHIP-14s-ar was then used to measure OHRQoL. Pearson correlation coefficients and multivariate analysis were used to examine relationships between OHRQoL and characteristics ascertained by interviews and clinical examinations. The OHIP-14s-ar had suitable construct validity, reliability, and internal consistency (i.e., Cronbach α). More than half of the participants reported that oral disorders affected quality of life; psychological discomfort and physical pain were the most frequently reported oral health impacts. Our results suggest that being female, tooth decay, systemic illness, and dry mouth worsen OHRQoL. The oral disorder with the greatest impact was dental caries, and tooth condition seemed to be more important than absence of teeth. The OHIP14s-ar yielded convincing psychometric data, and its performance makes it a suitable measure for future cross-sectional and longitudinal studies in Sudan. (J Oral Sci 55, 123-132, 2013)

A study was conducted to determine the degree of tooth loss, factors influencing tooth loss, and the extent of prosthodontic rehabilitation in Sudanese adults (≥ 16 years old) attending outpatient clinics in Khartoum State. Pearson and multivariate analyses were used to examine the relationships between tooth loss and specific characteristics determined through interviews and clinical examinations. The mean number of missing teeth was 3.6 (SD, 4.9) and the prevalence of edentulism was 0.1%. The prevalence of tooth loss (missing at least one tooth) was 78%; 66.9% of tooth loss was due to caries, and 11.2% was attributable to other reasons. Prosthetic replacement of missing teeth was evident in 3%, whereas a need for prosthetic replacement was evident in 57%. Having < 20 teeth was associated with age, gender, and socioeconomic status; tooth loss due to caries was associated with age, tribe, frequency of tooth-brushing, and a low rate of dental consultation. Tooth loss due to other reasons was associated with age, tribe, education, periodontal pocketing, tobacco use, tooth wear, and prosthetic status. The results of the present study indicated that the major cause of tooth loss was dental caries, thus emphasizing the importance of a public prevention-based healthcare program. Replacement of missing teeth was uncommon in the study subjects, which may reflect lack of access to this type of oral healthcare.

Determination of the occlusal vertical dimension (OVD) is an integral part of complete dentures fabrication. Due to the lack of teeth, the clinician faces the challenge of how to accurately establish the OVD of the new denture. Therefore, the purpose of this review article was to present, discuss and critique the available methods used in determining the OVD for complete dentures patients. This review identified two main streams to determine the OVD: (i) pre-extraction methods and (ii) post-extraction methods. For the pre-extraction methods, the OVD of the natural dentition is transferred to the new dentures mainly by intra-oral measurements, profile tracing and cephalometric analysis. The post-extraction methods rely on mandibular rest position, facial aesthetic appearance, swallowing pattern, craniofacial landmarks measurements, cephalometric analysis, phonetics and existing dentures. In general, all the available techniques have merits and are helpful for routine clinical use. However, they are empirical in nature, controversial and lack the scientific support. Further, there is no single accurate method for OVD determination. To overcome the limitations of the techniques, the clinician will benefit from applying combination of techniques to approximate the OVD.