Oral Health Screening Status of Diabetes Patients in Selected Hospitals of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2018

Addisu Tadesse Sahile,1 Tennyson Mgutshini,2 Solomon Muluken Ayehu3 1Department of Public Health, Unity University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; 2Department of Public Health, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa; 3Department of Emergency, Menelik II Referral Hospital, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Addisu Tadesse Sahile Tel +2519 1209 6667Email sahdis91@gmail.comObjective: The study assessed the oral health screening status of diabetes patients and its associated factors in selected public hospitals of Addis Ababa, 2018.Patients and Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 388 diabetes patients selected on the bases of a systematic random sampling method from March to May 2018 at two selected public hospitals in Addis Ababa. Data were collected with a pre-tested, structured, and translated questionnaire. Bi-variable and multivariable logistics regression were undertaken to identify predictors of oral health screening among diabetes with their respective 95% CI and a p-value of less than 5% level of significance.Results: The oral health screening status among diabetes patients in this study was 21.1%. The odds of having had an oral health screening was 82.4% higher in those with an educational status of college and above than those who cannot read and write and it was ten and five folds higher in participants with a monthly income of less than 750 birr than those with above 2,000 birr and those who brushed their tooth twice or more times a day than occasionally, respectively. The odds of having had an oral health screening was 17, four, and five folds higher among participants with perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, and benefit, respectively, whilst it was 8.8% lower in participants with a perceived barrier and it was as high as 19.782 times among participants with malocclusion.Conclusion: A lower level of oral health screening was observed. A higher educational level, a lower monthly income, a higher frequency of tooth brushing per day, positive perceptions of susceptibility, severity, and benefits, and presence of malocclusions were statistically associated with a higher frequency of oral health screening. Concerned bodies were recommended to work on the identified predictors and improve the oral health screening of diabetes patients.Keywords: oral health screening, diabetes patients, associated factors