No abstract

Background: The age of natural menopause varies considerably between countries and within countries. This variation is related to socio-economic conditions. The objective is to assess the effect of socioeconomic conditions on the age of the natural menopause in postmenopausal women aged 40 to 80 years.

The aim of this work was to study the connection between periodontal diseas of women during their pregnancy and the weight of newborn infants the women gave birth to. Method: It was a case-control study and carried out on the outskirts of Dakar (Senegal). The sample consisted of 129 mothers with infants of weight < 2500 g (case) and 258 mothers with infants of weight ≥ 2500 g (control). The socio-demographic variables, patterns of life, history and outcome of pregnancy were collected. The variables relating to periodontal status included the plaque index, inflammation, bleeding, loss of clinical attachment and pocket depth. Data were analyzed by the R software. Logistic regression had identified associations on the threshold of 5%. Results: The proportions of mothers with periodontitis were 70.6% among cases versus 33% in controls. Periodontitis was significantly associated with low weight (OR = 4 [2.3 -5.7] 4) adjusted on age, BMI and other periodontal indices. Conclusion: periodontal disease appears to be involved in the occurrence of low birth weight in the African context. The introduction of an oral component in prenatal consultations is therefore necessary for the health of mothers and their children.

It is therefore important to consider the sociocultural aspects in oral health projects and programmes; the place of herbal medicine in dentistry should be recognized and maybe researched in the region of the Great Green Wall.

Antibiotics have saved millions of lives around the world. However, their effectiveness is compromised by the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance. The latter is a threat to global health. Under the International Health Regulations, a national self-assessment was conducted in Senegal to assess the country's capacity to cope with this scourge. It is followed by the joint external evaluation of the World Health Organization. One of the main recommendations is raising public awareness about the rational use of antibiotics. The goal of this study was to evaluate the general public's practices regarding antibiotics and the determinants of antibiotic use without a medical prescription. The study was cross-sectional. It was conducted at the Rufisque bus station. Rufisque is a city located in the region of Dakar, capital of Senegal. We estimated the sample size using Raosoft. Participants were selected according to a convenience sampling. A questionnaire was administered in an individual interview. Logistic regression was used to identify the determinants of antibiotic use without a prescription. A total of 400 people were included. Among them, 75% (300/400) said they had taken antibiotics during the last twelve months. The sources of supply were the community pharmacy (81%), the entourage (12%), the remaining antibiotics (5%) and the illicit drugs market (2%). The use of antibiotics without a prescription was reported by 75% of participants (225/300). It was more common among the uneducated people (OR = 2.7, P =.002). In addition, 16.8% (67/400) said they had shared their antibiotic treatment with their relatives or friends. Shortening the duration and frequency of antibiotic treatment was found in 65.8% (263/400) and 29.3% (117/400) of respondents, respectively. About 7% (29/400) said they sometimes demand antibiotics to prescribers. Almost all (98.8%, 395/400) stated that they had never returned unwanted medicines to pharmacies or health facilities while 37.8% (151/400) said they had never checked the expiry dates of medicines. This study, conducted in an urban setting, showed that respondents have recourse to inadequate practices toward antibiotics. We recommend the sensitization of populations especially those who are not educated. Other studies should be conducted mainly in rural areas to identify the most commonly used antibiotics and the extent of inappropriate practices and their determinants.