An audit of pattern of patients' presentation at the periodontics clinic of the University College Hospital, Ibadan

Abstract

Background: Age estimation for sporting activities, legal age determination and migration purpose is oftentimes essential, which makes the need for a scientifically proven method of age estimation an important aspect of medical practice. Forensic odontology is an essential aspect of forensic practice and may be a veritable tool in age estimation. Aim and Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of orthopantomograms (OPG) in age estimation among selected Nigerians. Methodology: A retrospective assessment of 202 OPGs was done to review the visibility of the periodontal ligament of third molars with completed root formation according to the methods described by Olze et al (2010). Individual ages were then calculated by deducting date of exposure from the date of birth recorded in years. Mean age with standard deviation were calculated for each group. Results: Assessing the minimum and maximum age at which each of the stages of the radiographic visibility of the periodontal ligament as seen on the OPGs revealed that there was a gradual increase in the age at which the stage increment occurred, with a few exceptions. Comparison of the radiographic visibility of the periodontal ligament revealed that males tend to achieve early periodontal visibility stages compared to females, but the reverse was observed in later stages. Age 17 is more than likely attained in any person found within stages 1 to 3 as the minimum age found in these stages were above 17 years. Conclusion: With a few exceptions, the assessment of periodontal ligament visibility on OPGs can adequately predict the age of individuals. Thus, the use of this method may need to be combined with other methods in accurate determination of dental age in instances of forensic age estimation.

Pattern of patients' attendance to the dental clinic of federal college of dental technology and therapy, Enugu, Nigeria

“…In this study, adolescents and younger adults (16 to 30 years) utilized the dental services the most. This is in line with a previous study [ 17 ] and may be attributed to the fact that they are more conscious of their appearance and may also have more incidence of dental caries which is the commonest dental disease observed in younger age groups [ 17 , 18 ]. Children's visit to the dental clinic was low as also reported in prior studies [ 4 , 10 ].…”

Correlates of illness behaviour related to orofacial infections of odontogenic origin among adults in a semi urban community in Nigeria

“…However, in the semi-urban setting where this study was conducted, factors such as literacy, occupation and earning power, poor nutrition and poor attitude towards general health and wellbeing are factors which impact generally on individual immunity and health behaviours hence may predispose strongly to progression of odontogenic infection. [4][5][6]13 Identification of illness behaviours in a population can help in planning appropriate interventions, for example, if it is a norm for individuals who experience an episode of orofacial infection to seek help from a local chemist shop, it may then be possible to train the local chemist to refer such individuals to the nearest health facility. 14 The view is often that desired health care seeking behaviour is for an individual to respond to an illness episode by seeking first and foremost help from a trained medical practitioner, in a formally recognized health care setting.…”

An Audit of Oral Health Care among Young Adults Attending a Tertiary Health Facility in Nigeria

“…Socio-economic class of patients has been demonstrated to have an effect on utilization of oral health services [24] . It…”