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Objective: This study assessed the coping strategies of Nigerian medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design: We conducted an online descriptive cross-sectional study among medical and dental students attending three of the largest Colleges of Medicine in the Southwestern zone of Nigeria. Settings: Our study involved students across the pre-clinical and clinical levels of the three Colleges of Medicine. Participants: We selected the respondents through a purposive sampling technique and disseminated questionnaires applied using an online survey platform (Google forms https://forms.gle/19yfEzehJKwsme759). A total of 1010 participants out of 2404 eligible students completed the questionnaires accurately, giving a response rate of 42%. Methods: The Brief-COPE questionnaire assessed the participants' coping strategies (approach and avoidant) during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted a bivariate analysis using the chi-square test and multiple regression analysis (p< 0.05) to determine the predictors of avoidant coping strategies. Results: Respondents mean age was 21.8±2.9 years, results were presented as Odds Ratios(OR) at 95% confidence intervals(CI). About 95% of respondents employed an approach coping strategy, while the minority(5%) adopted an avoidant coping strategy. Females were three times more likely to employ an avoidant coping strategy (OR=3.32 (95% CI 1.67-6.21) compared to male students. Conclusion: This study reveals that the majority of the respondents employed an approach coping strategy towards the COVID-19 pandemic. Females were more likely to employ an avoidant coping strategy. We recommend genderspecific programs to help medical students cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: dental training aims to produce committed dentists who are professional and empathetic in providing patient-centered oral healthcare and improved quality of life. This study aimed to assess the motives of dental students to study dentistry, their specialty preferences, and their empathy scores by motives and specialty preference. Methods: this cross-sectional study utilized a self-administered questionnaire designed to assess the empathy measured by the Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Health Professions Student version, motives to study dentistry, dental specialty preferences among students of a dental school in Nigeria. Differences in mean empathy across gender, motives to study dentistry, and specialty preferences were analysed with t-test and ANOVA. P-values of <0.05 were considered significant. Results: a total of 211 students participated fully in the study with a mean age of 21.19 years ± 2.43 and 140 (66.4%) females. Personal interest (27.0%) and failure of admission to other undergraduate programmes (20.9%) were the top two motives for studying dentistry. Oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) was the most preferred specialty (44.1%) and community dentistry and periodontology were the least preferred (2.8%) respectively. The total mean empathy score was 104.06 ± 19.1. The highest empathy score for motivation was for high income from dentistry (112.33 ± 13.34). The participants who preferred paediatric dentistry had the highest empathy score (108.73 ± 13.68). Conclusion: knowledge of the empathy levels, the motivation for studying dentistry, and preferences for particular specialties may encourage trainers to ensure the development of a positive attitude among dental students that is professional and empathetic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Amalgam is one of the most reliable dental restorative materials. Health and environmental concerns associated with the mercury content of amalgam have necessitated an amalgam phase‐down in clinical practice. Objectives: This study investigated the level of awareness and preparedness for the planned amalgam phase‐down recommended by the Minamata Convention amongst Nigerian dental students and dentists. Methods: This cross‐sectional national survey was performed across all geopolitical zones of Nigeria. Data regarding awareness, practice and level of preparedness for amalgam phase‐down were obtained using a questionnaire that was distributed amongst clinical dental students and dentists of different cadres, who routinely place dental restorations, in public and private practice. The questionnaires were administered online or were hand delivered. Data were analysed using the chi‐square test and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. A p value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Notably, 845 dental students and dentists participated in the survey. Mean age (±standard deviation) of participants was 30.15 ± 7.67 years, 33.8% were students, and 66.2% were dentists (most dentists [77.1%] were employed at public hospitals). A significant percentage of respondents had poor knowledge of the Minamata Convention (87.7%) and lacked training in the use of alternatives to amalgam (72.0%). Amalgam continues to be commonly used by 39.1% and 31.3% of dental students and dentists, respectively. Only 4.7% of the respondents admitted to following good amalgam phase‐down practices. Awareness (P = 0.013) and amalgam phase‐down practices (P = 0.011) were significantly higher amongst dentists than amongst dental students. Conclusion: We observed low levels of awareness regarding the Minamata Convention, amalgam phase‐down, mercury hygiene practices and training in alternatives to amalgam use amongst Nigerian dental professionals and students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Dental implantology is an increasingly contemporary integral and important component of the practice of dentistry. This study assessed the level of teaching of dental implantology to dental undergraduates in Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This was a cross‐sectional descriptive study involving the use of a self‐administered questionnaire consisting of five sections developed for this study. It was sent via e‐mail to a dental faculty in charge of and involved in the teaching of dental implantology in all 10 dental schools (five old generation and five new generation) in Nigeria. Results: Eight of the 10 schools teach implant dentistry and utilised didactic lectures as mode of teaching. Simulations were used in only 1 (12.5%) of the schools whilst clinical demonstration was reported by 2 (25.0%) of the schools. Only 2 (25.0%) of the schools allowed students to experience direct patient care with no school expecting students to provide implant treatment. Almost all schools 9 (90.0%) identified insufficient resources and lack of dental industry support as barriers to effective teaching of implant dentistry. All the dental schools had plans to improve teaching of implant dentistry. Conclusion: Teaching of dental implantology in Nigeria is mainly theoretical with no clinical competence assigned. A situation which is unsatisfactory as all Nigerian dental schools have plans both in the short term and long term to improve on the teaching of implant dentistry. There is need for industry support as well as improved and effective training of dental faculty in implant dentistry in Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aim: This study aimed to evaluate supervisors' perceptions of the attitudes and behaviour of undergraduate dental students to their dissertation projects. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire survey of all academic staff of the Faculty of Dentistry, Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Nigeria, who were involved in the training and supervision of final-year dental students' dissertations between 2013 and 2017 was carried out to record the supervisors' perceptions of their supervisees' behaviour, performance, preparedness and the challenges encountered during their research work. Data were analysed using descriptive and analytical statistics with SPSS version 16. Statistical significant level was set at P < 0.05. Results: Seventeen of the 19 eligible academic staff participated in the study. Most supervisors (70%) especially of the male gender and the senior supervisors perceived the supervisees as inexperienced and lacked good understanding of the dissertation process even though majority of supervisees (58.8%) were motivated. Nevertheless, more than one-half (52.9%) were perceived to have improved in the course of the project. The perception of male supervisors with regards to the importance attached to dissertation process by supervisees was significantly ranked low (3.8+0.7) when compared to the female supervisors (5.6+0.5) (P<0.05). The supervisees' challenges were in the domain of understanding the research process and meeting deadlines. Conclusion: Supervisees were perceived to be motivated, but majority of the supervisors, particularly, the male and senior supervisors, felt that the supervisees were inadequately prepared and lacked good understanding of dissertation process as a result of limited academic research experience, poor supervision and guidance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To determine the reliability and validity of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy‐Health Profession Students (JSE‐HPS) version as a tool to measure the empathy levels in undergraduate dental students in Nigeria. Methods: A cross‐sectional study conducted from 15 December 2015 to 12 January 2016 among 234 undergraduate dental students of the University of Lagos, Nigeria. Participants were proportionately selected from the first to sixth year by systematic sampling technique. Data were collected with a self‐administered JSE‐HPS questionnaire with internal consistency determined by Cronbach's α‐coefficient reliability test. Data were analysed with SPSS software. Exploratory factor analysis was used to test for the fundamental construct validity of the scale among the students. P values <0.05 were considered significant. Results: The response rate of the respondents was 90.60% with 212 completed questionnaires with a mean age (SD) of 21.18 years (2.43) and internal reliability (Cronbach's α‐coefficient) was 0.84. Factor analysis revealed "Compassionate Care," "Standing in Patients' Shoes" and "Perspective Taking" as first, second and third factors, respectively. The total mean empathy score (SD) was 104.01 (19.64). The mean empathy for females (SD) of 105.34 (17.31) was not significantly higher than the males (P = 0.08). There was a significant difference in empathy levels between the second‐ and the fourth‐year students (P = 0.01). Conclusion: The mean JSE‐HPS score was comparable to those reported for dental, medical and other health professions students and physicians. Thus, this study demonstrates the construct validity and reliability of the JSE‐HPS for measuring empathy among Nigerian dental students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The few existing studies on herpes labialis among health care workers have been predominantly among non-dental health care workers. The purpose of this study was to determine Nigerian dental health care providers' knowledge of, attitudes toward, preventive behaviors for, and refusal to treat patients with herpes labialis.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among final-year dental students at the University of Benin, dental house officers, and residents at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria. Data collection was via a self-administered questionnaire. Bivariate statistics and logistic regression were used to relate the dependent and independent variables.Results: Of the 120 questionnaires distributed, 110 were completed and returned, giving a 91.7% retrieval rate. However, 15 of the returned questionnaires were discarded because they were improperly completed, leaving a total of 95 questionnaires for final analysis in this study. The majority of participants were over 28 years old (54.7%), male (67.4%), unmarried (66.3%), and postgraduate dental health care providers (51.6%). Less than half (43.2%) of participants demonstrated adequate overall knowledge of herpes labialis. About one-tenth (10.5%) and more than three-quarters (87.4%) of participants reported a positive attitude and performance of adequate preventive behaviors, respectively. A total of 16.8% of participants reported a high tendency to refuse treatment to patients with herpes labialis. Although not statistically significant, young, unmarried, male undergraduate participants reported a greater likelihood to refuse treatment to herpes labialis patients. We found a statistically significant positive correlation between attitude and refusal to treat patients with herpes labialis. However, marital status and the attitude of participants toward these patients emerged as the determinants for refusal to treat patients with herpes labialis.Conclusions: Data from this study revealed a high level of inadequate knowledge, negative attitudes, and reasonably adequate preventive behaviors with respect to herpes labialis. One out of every six dental health care workers studied reported having refused to treat patients with herpes labialis. Unmarried dental health care providers and those with negative attitudes toward herpes labialis patients were more prone to refuse treatment to these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Students' motives for studying Dentistry have been a subject of interest for years because of the potential for understanding the psychological makeup and subsequent job satisfaction for the dentist. It is also useful in identifying expectations of the profession. This study therefore tried to identify study motives and career preferences of dental students especially with respect to the practice of paediatric dentistry. Methods This was a cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire. The final year students in six dental schools in Nigeria were required to fill the questionnaire. Students were asked to rank their motives and career preferences on a Likert like scale with points ranging from 0-5 where 0 represented a factor that had no influence on their decision and 5 represented a very influential factor. The underlying dimensions for study motives, career preference, impression about and motive for interest in the practice of paediatric dentistry were identified using factor analysis. Results One hundred and seventy nine of 223 students (80.3%) participated in this study. Motives for the practice of dentistry included characteristics of the profession, altruism and intellectual challenges, existence of artistic theme in dentistry and parent's recommendation. Overall, 67.1% of respondents indicated interest in postgraduate studies and 50.8% were interested in paediatric dentistry practice. The main motives for showing interest in the practice of paediatric dentistry were 'personal interest, professional interest and interest of significant others in children', and 'family influence'. Significantly more males than females were interested in the practice of paediatric dentistry though the motives for interest in the practice of paediatric dentistry did not differ significantly by sex or age. Conclusion The non-significant sex difference in the motives for interest in the practice of paediatric dentistry is a possible reflection of changes in strong cultural themes in the motives for career choices in Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background This study aims to identify the determinants of caries prevention-oriented practice for children among final-year dental students in Nigeria. Method A questionnaire was distributed to 179 final-year dental students in six dental schools in Nigeria. It requested information on age, gender, knowledge of caries prevention measures, self-perceived competency in providing caries-preventive care for children, and caries prevention-oriented practice for two hypothetical cases with high and low risk of caries. Chi-squares tests and logistic regression analysis were done. Results Between 24% and 41% of the respondents indicated their inability to determine the appropriate treatment modality for children with high and low caries risk. Majority of the students failed to differentiate between the caries-preventive practice for children with high and low risk of caries: preventive strategies for children with high caries risk were also used for those with low caries risk. Age, gender, knowledge of caries prevention measures, and self-perceived competency in providing caries-preventive care were not associated with student's capacity to provide caries-preventive practice for children. Conclusion Caries-preventive practice among dental students in Nigeria could be improved. It may be important to explore the possible role of problem-based learning approach in addressing this challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to assess Nigerian dental therapy students' knowledge, attitudes, and willingness to care for patients with HIV. A twenty-six-item questionnaire was used to conduct a cross-sectional study of the dental therapy students of Federal School of Dental Therapy and Technology, Enugu State, Nigeria. The level of knowledge of HIV transmission and prevention among the respondents was high. However, misconceptions about the transmission of HIV through blood donation, mosquito bite, and sharing cups and plates were noted. Erroneous descriptions of HIV as harmless, self-limiting, antibiotic sensi-tive infection, punishment virus, and contagious infection were also reported. More than half (56.2 percent) and 25.2 percent of the respondents, respectively, expressed feelings of empathy and sympathy towards individuals with HIV. About three-quarters (74.3 percent) expressed willingness to treat patients with HIV, and 87.6 percent expressed confidence in their ability to prevent occupational HIV acquisition. This expressed confidence was significantly associated with their willingness to treat patients with HIV. More than half (55.7 percent) of the respondents reported they can adequately deliver HIV-related information to patients. A total of 86.2 percent said there is a need for training dental therapists in the clinical care of patients with HIV, and 89.0 percent said that dental therapists can play a significant role in the dissemination of HIV-related information. The vast majority (90.0 percent) expressed willingness to disseminate HIV-related information, and the majority (70.5 percent) considered the dental therapist the most suitable dental professional to give HIV-related information to patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Most educational institutions in Nigeria were shut down for a long while at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic as a preventive measure, and this affected dental students' academic and clinical training., Aim: To determine the influence of the pandemic on the academic, clinical training, and psychosocial well-being of dental students in Nigeria., Subjects and Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted among undergraduate dental students in clinical years in Nigerian dental schools. Participants received the questionnaire through an online platform, it had four sections; socio-demographics, impact on academic training, psychosocial well-being, and an open-ended segment for participants' suggestions to challenges. A mixed method was utilized to analyze the data. The statistical significance level was P < 0.05., Results: One hundred two dental students from nine dental schools participated, with a mean age of 25.3 ± 2.4 years. There were 56 (54.9%) males. Most students, 80 (78.4%) reported that their stay-at-home had not been rewarding academically. The majority, 90 (88.2%) were worried about contracting COVID-19 on school resumption. Participants' psychosocial well-being had significant associations with gender (P = 0.001) and self-directed learning during their stay-at-home (P = 0.001). More female students, 33 (71.7%) were severely worried compared to males 20 (35.7%). Their major suggestions were to commence online teaching and examinations (40.1%) and be provided with adequate personal protective equipment (18.6%)., Conclusion: Most undergraduate students in Nigeria were anxious about COVID-19, and females were more affected. This negatively impacted their academic and clinical training. This underscores the importance of adequate psychological support for undergraduate dental students by school authorities., Competing Interests: None

Background: To study the association between oral health behaviour of senior dental students in Nigeria and their gender, age, knowledge of preventive care, and attitudes towards preventive dentistry. Methods: Questionnaires were administered to 179 senior dental students in the six dental schools in Nigeria. The questionnaire obtained information on age, gender, oral self-care, knowledge of preventive dental care and attitudes towards preventive dentistry. Attending a dental clinic for check-up by a dentist or a classmate within the last year was defined as preventive care use. Students who performed oral self-care and attended dental clinic for check-ups were noted to have complied with recommended oral self-care. Chi-square test and binary logistic regression models were used for statistical analyses. Results: More male respondents agreed that the use of fluoride toothpaste was more important than the tooth brushing technique for caries prevention (P < 0.001). While the use of dental floss was very low (7.3%), more females were more likely to report using dental floss (p=0.03). Older students were also more likely to comply with recommended oral self-care (p<0.001). In binary regression models, respondents who were younger (p=0.04) and those with higher knowledge of preventive dental care (p=0.008) were more likely to consume sugary snacks less than once a day. Conclusion: Gender differences in the awareness of the superiority of using fluoridated toothpaste over brushing in caries prevention; and in the use of dental floss were observed. While older students were more likely to comply with recommended oral self-care measures, younger students with good knowledge of preventive dental care were more likely to consume sugary snacks less than once a day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the indigenous medical publications used by medical and dental students in Nigeria with a view to discovering factors that affects their usage. Data was gathered through a questionnaire survey. The population of the study was 1,264 undergraduate medical and dental students from ten universities in all the geopolitical zones of Nigeria. Data gathered was analysed using SPSS to obtain the summaries of the variables in form of frequency distribution and other descriptive statistics. The findings reveal several factors affecting the usage of indigenous medical publications. In spite of all the inhibitors, 88.2% of the respondents indicated that they need indigenous medical publications for a well-rounded medical education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was aimed at assessing the awareness, attitude, practices, willingness, and perceived barriers of dental students and dentists in Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria, in relation to smoking cessation in the dental care setting. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire that contained questions relating to attitudes, views, and perceived barriers to smoking cessation activities in the dental clinic was hand-delivered to all dentists and clinical dental students in 2007. One hundred and thirty-six respondents took part in the study (response rate=8 1.9 percent). Although 95 percent of the respondents believed that smoking affects the dental management of the patient, only 65 percent always ask their patients about their smoking habits, and only 30 percent have heard about smoking cessation programs. A significantly higher proportion of students always ask patients about their smoking habits compared with dentists (p=0.00l7). Also, a significantly higher proportion of dentists (97 percent) advised their patients against tobacco use compared with 77 percent of students (p=0.0000). Only 2 percent and 3 percent agreed that it is their professional responsibility to educate or encourage patients to quit smoking, respectively. Also, 98 percent strongly disagreed that it is within the scope of dental practice to ask about tobacco use, and 86 percent disagreed that tobacco counseling can be effective in helping patients quit tobacco use. Perceived barriers reported were lack of time (88 percent), lack of necessary materials (81 percent), and lack of knowledge of smoking cessation (74 percent). However, 81 percent of the respondents said they are willing to undergo training in tobacco use cessation. Since most of the dentists and dental students had poor attitudes and negative perceptions of smoking cessation activities, possibly due to lack of training and resources to carry it out in the clinics, there is need to include smoking cessation training in the dental curriculum in Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dental care of HIV-positive individuals plays a vital role in improving their nutritional intake, medication tolerance and effectiveness, treatment success rate, and quality of life. It is therefore important to ensure optimal dental care of this group of people, especially since more of them, with or without knowledge of their serologic status, are now utilizing dental services. The objective of this study was to assess Nigerian dental students' willingness to treat HIV-positive individuals. A descriptive cross-sectional survey of all seventy-six final-year dental students of the University of Benin, Nigeria, was conducted in December 2007 using a self-administered questionnaire that elicited information on the students' demography, self-rated knowledge on HIV/AIDS, attitude towards homosexuals, infection control practices, occupational risk perception, and willingness to provide care for HIV-positive individuals. The response rate was 76.3 percent. Over 77 percent of the respondents were in the twenty-five to thirty years age group. The male-female ratio was approximately 1.6:1. HIV-related knowledge was reported as high by only 31 percent of the respondents. Eighty-one percent showed great interest in HIV-related information, while about half (53.4 percent) exhibited significant worry about occupational contagion. Forty-eight (82.7 percent) desired more knowledge about safety precautions during treatment of HIV patients. Fifty respondents (86.2 percent) reported good infection control practices. About three-fourths (74.2 percent) rated the risk of HIV contagion from patients high, while only one-fourth (25.8 percent) reported having an unsym-pathetic attitude towards homosexuals. Almost all respondents (98.3 percent) agreed that oral care for HIV-positive individuals improves their quality of life, but only 58.8 percent expressed a willingness to treat HIV-positive patients and only 46.5 percent said they will render volunteer dental services in HIV centers. HIV prevalence will determine the location of practice of 41 .4 percent of the respondents. The result suggests the need to have a comprehensive educational/motivational program for the next generation of dentists in Nigeria in order to ensure adequate care of HIV-positive individuals. The perceived deficiency revealed in this study can also serve as a vital guide for curriculum change on HIV-related issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To assess any effect of exposure to dental education and training on the perception and acceptance of dentistry by dental students at a Nigerian dental school. Participants and methods: The study was conducted by means of an anonymous self-administered questionnaire distributed to second-, fifth- and sixth-year dental students at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos. Participation was voluntary and 67 students agreed to participate in the study. Majority (51%) were aged between 24 and 27 years. The questionnaire contained questions on demography, preferred choice of course on admission, attempts at change of course, their present perception to dentistry and future dental practice. Result: Over 90% of them were admitted through the Joint admission and matriculation board and 40 (60%) chose Medicine as their first course choice. Of the 40, 18 had attempted a change of course and eight were still interested in a career change (four were in the fifth year). Most of the change in attitude occurred in fourth year. Sixty (90%) intend to practice dentistry but 38 (63%) of these would like to practice outside Nigeria. Conclusion: Exposure to dental training appears to improve students’ perception about dental practice but uncertainty about future prospects in Nigeria may lead to brain drain in the dental profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this study was to determine the frequency of occupational exposures to bloodborne pathogens amongst Nigerian clinical dental students, their HBV vaccination status, and reporting practices. A cross-sectional study of all clinical dental students in the four Nigerian dental schools was carried out by means of an anonymous self-administered questionnaire that asked questions on demography, number and type of exposure, management of the exposures, personal protection against cross infection, and the reporting of such exposures. One hundred and fifty-three students responded (response rate of 84.5 percent). Only thirty-three (37.9 percent) were fully vaccinated against HBV. Ninety (58.8 percent) of the students have had at least one occupational exposure. There was no significantly associated difference between sex, age, location of school, and exposure. Most of the exposures (44.4 percent) occurred in association with manual tooth cleaning. There was inadequate protection of the eyes. None of the exposures were formally reported. It is the responsibility of training institutions to ensure the safety of the students by mandatory HBV vaccination prior to exposure and adequate training in work safety. Written policies and procedures should be developed and made easily accessible to all workers to facilitate prompt reporting and management of all occupational exposures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to identify sources of stress among dental students at the University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria. A modified Dental Environment Stress (DES) questionnaire was used to study the 137 students in years 3–6, of which 105 (76.6%) responded. Results show that the year 5 students indicated the highest level of stress overall on items relating to pre-clinical training with 21 (70%) recording aggregate DES score over the cut-off point for high stress. For clinical items, nearly all the students – 27(90%) of year 5 and 24 (100%) of year 6 recorded aggregates over the cut-off point. The most important stressors were those related to the lack of provision of a well-supported system of dental education in Nigeria in terms of availability of materials for clinical training and study materials. There were no significant differences in stress perception between genders. However, students who chose Medicine as their first choice for admission with Dentistry as an alternative experienced significantly higher overall mean and higher mean scores for most items. In conclusion, it appears there is a need to improve support for dental education in Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of signs and symptoms of TMD in young Nigerian adults and to establish a baseline for comparison with other studies. It consisted of a cross-sectional study at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria in 1997. The subjects consisted of 308 medical and dental students (207 males and 101 females) randomly selected from a Nigerian University. Their ages ranged from 17 to 32 years with a mean age of 23 ± 3·0 years. They were assessed according to the criteria of Helkimo (1974). Whilst 26·3 per cent of the subjects reported mild symptoms (Ai I) of TMD, only 2·9 per cent reported severe symptoms (Ai II). Similarly, 46 per cent showed mild dysfunction signs (Di I), whilst 16·5 and 0·3 per cent exhibited moderate (Di II) and severe (Di III) signs of TMD, respectively. No significant relationships were found between sex, anamnestic index, and the clinical dysfunction index scores. However, there were low but significant correlations between ananmestic index scores (Ai) and the recorded signs (Di), as well as the clinical dysfunction scores (CDS). There is some evidence to show that signs and symptoms of TMD occur amongst Nigerians, although restricted lateral and protrusive mandibular movements contributed significantly to clinical dysfunction scores. This report contrasts with what is found in western societies regarding the low prevalence of TMJ pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID -19), is an infectious disease that has become a major public health emergency of international concern. It is necessary that Nigerian dental students have adequate knowledge about prevention/control of COVID-19 pandemic in dental practice. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and perception about COVID-19 among Nigerian dental students and its impact on their academic life., Material and Methods: A web-based questionnaire assessing knowledge and perception with a total of 46 scoreable responses was created using Survey Monkey, an online survey tool. We surveyed 178 out of 507 clinical dental students attending the 10 dental schools. Bivariate analysis was conducted to test the association between students' age, gender and knowledge and perception of COVID 19 infection. Logistic regression was also conducted to determine the predictors of having good knowledge of COVID 19. The effect of all significant factors was inferred at P< 0.05., Results: The mean knowledge score of the dental students about infection control and COVID-19 was 32.19 (SD: 7.30, Range: 2-46). Knowledge scores significantly differed across genders, age-groups, class levels, university of study, previous lectures on infection prevention and control and risk-perception. The linear regression analysis showed that male gender (vs. female, β: 0.242, P<0.001), age-group of 18-24 years (vs. 45-54years, β: -0.305, P<0.001), class level 600 (vs. 500 level, β: -0.154, P<0.001), previous lectures on infection prevention and control (vs. no lecture, β: -0.186 , P=0.007), and a high-risk perception of COVID-19 ( vs. low-risk perception, β: 0.220, P=0.001) were significantly associated with higher knowledge scores., Conclusion: The students were knowledgeable about mode of transmission, complications and diagnosis of COVID-19 but had limited understanding of the extra precautionary measures against COVID-19. These results imply that there is a need for an update of the infection prevention and control curriculum for dental students and improved quality assurance., Competing Interests: The Authors declare that no competing interest exists., (Copyright © 2021 by West African Journal of Medicine.)

Objective: To determine the tooth brushing, tongue cleaning and snacking behaviour of dental technology and therapist students. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study of students of Federal School of Dental Therapy and Technology Enugu, Nigeria. Self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on demography, frequency, duration and technique of tooth brushing and tongue cleaning as well as information on consumption of snacks. Results: A total of 242 students responded. Dental technology students made up 52.5% of the respondents and dental therapist in training made up 47.5%. Majority (63.2%) of the respondents considered the strength of tooth brush when purchasing a tooth brush and 78.9% use tooth brushes with medium strength. Seven-tenth (71.9%) of the respondents brush their teeth twice daily and 52.1% brush for 3–5 minutes. About one-third (30.2%) brush their teeth in front of a mirror. Chewing stick was used by 51.7% of respondents in addition to the use of tooth brush. Tongue cleaning was done by 94.2% with only 9.5% using a tongue cleaner. Only 20.2% reported regular snacks consumption. Nine-tenth (90.4%) of respondents were previously involved in educating others, apart from their colleagues, on tooth brushing. Conclusion: This survey revealed that most of the dental therapy and technology students had satisfactory tooth-brushing behaviour. The zeal to educate others about proper tooth brushing revealed in this study suggests that the students may be helpful in oral health promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the perceived oral health status and treatment needs of Nigerian dental therapists in training and dental technology students. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study of students from Federal School of Dental Therapy and Technology Enugu, Nigeria was conducted using self-administered questionnaire to obtain information on demography, self-reported oral health status, knowledge of impact of oral health on daily life activity, dental attendance and perceived dental need. Results: The perception of oral health status and treatment need of the two groups of dental auxiliaries was the same. Fewer respondents (27.3%) rated their oral health as excellent, while 50.4% rated their oral health as good. Majority (95.5%) agreed that oral health is a part of general health and 94.6% agreed that oral health has a role in daily life. Out of 81.4% that had previous dental treatment, scaling and polishing accounted for 66.1%. Presently, 48.8% think they need dental treatment ranging from scaling and polishing (33.9%), tooth restoration (10.3%), to extraction (1.2%). Conclusion: This survey revealed that most of the students are aware that oral health is a component of general health and that it has an impact on an individual's daily life. More than half of the students perceived their oral health as good, but only a few knew that there is a need for a preventive approach to oral health as evident by the percentage that perceived scaling and polishing as a treatment need. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]