This review aims to determine the prevalence and severity of oral health diseases in the Africa and Middle East region (AMER). The profile of oral diseases is not homogeneous across the AMER. There are large disparities between groups. Reliable data are scarce. The prevalence and severity of oral diseases appear to be increasing in the African region, as does associated morbidity. There are substantial differences in inequalities in oral health. Dental caries prevalence is less severe in most African countries than in developed countries, but the high rate of untreated caries reflects the limited resources available and difficulties of access and affordability to essential oral health care services. The prevalence of gingival inflammation is very high in all age groups in several African countries. The prevalence of maxillofacial trauma has increased in many countries, with a wide variation of the incidence and high prevalence of traumatic dental injuries in primary and permanent teeth. Orofacial clefts are among the most common birth defects. Annual incidence of oral cancer is estimated as 25 cases per 100,000 people in Africa. Noma is a major public health problem for the Middle East and North African (MENA) region. Data about human immunodeficiency virus/AIDS are limited, particularly in the MENA region. According to the World Health Organization Regional Committee for Africa report, some fundamental key basic knowledge gaps need to be underlined. They include inequalities in oral health, low priority for oral health, lack of adequate funding, inadequate dental student training, obstacles to medical and dental research, and poor databases. There are very few effective public prevention and oral health promotion programs in the AMER. Universal health coverage is not achievable without scientific research on the effectiveness of health promotion interventions.

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=81.9 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 signiicantly higher proportion of students always ask patients about their smoking habits compared with dentists (p=0.0017). Also, a signiicantly 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.Dr. Uti is Senior Lecturer,

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. K E Y W O R D Sdental students, empathy, health professions students, Nigeria, reliability How to cite this article: Ameh PO, Uti OG, Daramola OO.Empathy among dental students in a Nigerian institution. Eur J

Background: Many diseases including HIV/AIDS can be transmitted in the dental setting when effective infection control procedures are ignored. The aim of this study, therefore, was to evaluate the infection control knowledge and practices of Nigerian dentists in the era of HIV/AIDS. Methodology: Information on knowledge of transmission of HIV, occupational vulnerability, infection control practices, and opinion on adequacy of infection control facilities were gathered from dentists through a self-administered questionnaire. Knowledge was assessed on a total score of 20 questions. Results: Only 3.6% of the dentists had poor knowledge. Younger males and dentists working in teaching hospitals had significantly better knowledge than their counterparts. While 40.8% believed HIV could be transmitted through saliva, only 43.2% knew it could be transmitted through the conjunctiva. Most (93.2%) wore gloves routinely and the most common barrier to glove use was non-availability. Most (79.2%) used autoclaves for sterilization; however, chemical disinfectants and boiling were also used. The majority (72.4%) believed the facilities for infection control in their centres were inadequate. Close to half of the respondents (47.6%; n = 118) rated the occupational risk of becoming infected with HIV as high. Conclusion: The results of this study have shown that while the level of knowledge of the dentists was generally acceptable, there were still some misconceptions on the transmission and occupational vulnerability of HIV. It also indicates only partial compliance with recommended infection control procedures among Nigerian dentists as a result of inadequate supplies.

The objective of this study was to determine the knowledge and experiences of clinical dental students of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Nigeria related to the management and prevention of oral malignancy and premalignancy. A selfadministered questionnaire was distributed to all clinical dental students. Most of the students (87.7 percent; n=57) had witnessed at least a patient with oral malignancy, while 61.5 percent (n=40) had witnessed or examined a patient with oral premalignancy. While 61.5 percent of the students had observed biopsies of malignant and premalignant lesions, only 13.8 percent (n=9) had ever performed one under supervision. All the respondents believed that oral malignancy is always or sometimes associated with pain, and most of the students were more familiar with the late signs of oral malignancy than the early signs. Almost two-thirds (64.6 percent) of the respondents believed that oral screening programs were effective for early diagnosis and management of oral malignancies. This study revealed a need for a more structured teaching program with increased emphasis on the early signs and symptoms of oral malignancies and involvement of the students in the examination and biopsies of malignant and premalignant lesions.