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.Dr. Sofola is Senior Lecturer,

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The aim of the study was to determine dental caries prevalence among a representative sample of 12-14 year old school children in Ibadan, Nigeria with a view of determining Restorative Index and Met Need Index of the studied population. Dental caries was diagnosed according to the WHO method. Out of the 577 children in the age group, 65 children (11.2%) had dental caries experience as expressed with the DMFT index. More than 85% of the children were caries free. A mode of one DMFT was the highest score for the children although a 14-year-old pupil had DMFT score of 6. Female children had higher mean DMFT score of ‫31.1ע30.2‬ compared with ‫ע87.1‬ 1.0 for males (PϾ0.05). The Restorative Index (RI) and Met Need Index (MNI) for the children were very low as only the 14-year-old children had an RI of 3.45% and MNI of 0.11. Restorative Index reflects the restorative care of those who have suffered the disease and it is measured as a ratio of filled to filled plus decayed teeth percent that is F/F‫ם‬D percent. Met Need Index is an indication of treatment received by an individual and it is measured by the ratio of the mean missing plus filled teeth to mean decayed, missing and filled teeth that is M‫ם‬F/DMF. Since cost of management, which may be out of the reach of these children, has been identified as one of the factors militating against their receiving treatment, the result of this study suggest that oral health education with emphasis on correcting snacking habits of school children is desirable. countries have reported an increased prevalence which has been closely linked to changing life styles which includes diet rich in sugars 6). High caries prevalence among adolescents has been reported 7,8) , although recent trends have shown them to benefit from the dramatic progress in the reduction of the prevalence of dental caries in most developed countries 9) , but there is paucity of information on caries prevalence among young Nigerian adolescents. Adolescence marks a time in which the role of the parents in the child's dental home care needs to be minimized and the responsibility of the adolescent for managing his or her own oral health program must be emphasized. The purpose of this study was to document caries prevalence among a representative sample of 12-14 year old school children in Ibadan, Nigeria

Abstract:Background: Though the use of simulators in operative dentistry is not new, the teaching and learning practices that take place during clinical sessions in skills laboratories are rarely reported. This study was designed to determine the current practices relating to teaching and learning of dental clinical skills in southern Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the final year dental students in southern Nigeria using anonymous structured questionnaire as instrument for data collection. The questionnaire items included statements relating to existing teaching and learning practices. A five-point Likert scale response option was provided and descriptive summary statistics was computed. Results: There were 56 (34.8%) females and 105 (65.2%) males. Most of the students (41.0%) agreed that the theoretical concept behind clinical skills is taught prior to clinical sessions and most agreed that the objectives of each clinical session are stated and that the procedures are usually demonstrated. Most of the respondents (39.8%) agreed that feedback was sometimes embarrassing and given at the end of clinical sessions (76.6%). Equipment breakdown was a major challenge to learning. Conclusion: Dental education in the skills labs within the region appeared standard. However, feedback should be continuous and constructive. Equipment breakdown was the major constraint to learning.

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