Oral self-care practices, dental attendance and self-perceived oral health status among internal medicine residents in Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Oral health is important for well-being and chronic disease prevention. Physician′s confidence and willingness to counsel patients on lifestyle practices is related to their personal behavior. Limited data exists regarding oral self-care practices among physicians in developing countries, as the majority seeks oral health advice and care from doctors rather than dentists. Aim: To determine the oral self-care practices, dental attendance, and self-perceived oral health status of internal medicine residents in Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among internal medicine resident doctors attending an update course using a self-administered structured questionnaire, which included oral care practices. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 21.0, P < 0.05 was significant. Results: The response rate was 82.0%. Data from 109 residents from the 6 geopolitical zones in Nigeria were analyzed. The mean age of the residents was 33.1 (4.0) years. 39.8% brushed twice a day, 20.2% used dental floss regularly, 10.1% used the roll technique for brushing and 30.3% of the doctors had never been to a dentist. However, 61.1% felt dental visits should be undertaken every 6 months and 57.8% strongly agreed/agreed that the state of their oral health was excellent. There was no difference in the oral hygiene practices by gender, designation or geopolitical zone of the residency program apart from dental flossing (female > male, P = 0.002). A higher proportion of junior compared to senior residents strongly agreed/agreed and strongly disagreed/disagreed that their oral health status was excellent ( P = 0.026). Conclusion: The oral self-care practices of these doctors involved in managing patients with medical conditions linked to oral health is inadequate. There is a need for better education on oral self-care among physicians.

Correlation of perceived self-rated oral health status with various dental health and awareness factors

“…In the present study, a negative correlation between age and PSR-OHS was found with high significance. This was in concurrence with another study,[ 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 ] which demonstrated that as age advanced among older individuals, the probability of cleaning their teeth twice daily diminished, conversely the younger patients having good oral hygiene, with good periodontal health make them rate their oral health as good.…”

Demographic details of oral hygiene practice and dental service utilization of Medical Doctors in Port Harcourt

“…In this study almost all the participants (92.3%) used toothbrush and toothpaste in cleaning their teeth. This is similar to a study done in Lagos and other parts of the world among medical doctors that reported that 99.1% and over 90% of their participants respectively used same [25,26]. In this study, 7.7% of participants used chewing stick in addition to tooth brushes in cleaning their teeth.…”

Determinants of oral self-care in the Brazilian adult population: a national cross-sectional study

“…In the field of oral health, the recognition and analysis of the process of acquiring individual autonomy is under construction, and studies predominantly show an association between oral self-care and isolated factors. 7,8,9,10,11 The literature points out that appropriate oral health depends on maintaining certain practices, including periodic dental visits, 12,13,14,15 tooth brushing frequency, 7,10,12,16,17 toothbrush replacement frequency, 17,18 dental flossing, and use of auxiliary techniques, 7,12,17,19 and that all these factors together represent oral selfcare. However, the studies usually evaluate oral selfcare in a segmented manner, relating it specifically to dental flossing, toothbrushing or regular visits to the dentist.…”