Knowledge; Attitudes and Practices Towards HIV Positive and AIDS Patients among Public Service Dentists in Nairobi

The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge; practices and attitudes towards HIV Positive/AIDS patients among 112 dentists from public institutions in Nairobi using a self-administered questionnaire. 94(83.9) responded. Over 74had managed HIV positive/AIDS patients. In general; respondents' knowledge and preventive measures against HIV infection were satisfactory. 8.5did not find use of protective eye wear absolutely necessary. 33used protective covers routinely. 52.1advocated for the screening of all suspected cases of AIDS before treatment. 27.7felt that HIV positive health workers and those with AIDS should not be allowed to treat patients. 53.2felt that they should be given the right to decide on treating HIV Positive/AIDS patients. 10.6supported the idea that AIDS patients be isolated from uninfected individuals. It is concluded that a substantial number of dentists were wanting in their attitudes towards HIV positive/AIDS patients

The nature of malocclusions of patients attending orthodontic department of the University of Nairobi: a retrospective study

The objectives of this study were to determine the distribution and proportion of malocclusions among patients aged 6-18 years who attended the orthodontics department of the University of Nairobi between 1984 and 1987 and to find out whether the distribution of various types of malocclusions was related to age and sex of the patients. Results showed that there were more males (52.4 per cent) who attended the orthodontics clinic than females (47.6 per cent). Angle's class 1 malacclusion was more common than other types of malocclusions. Angle's 2 division 2 was the least encountered malocclusion. 13-18 years old tended to have a slightly higher prevalence of class 2 division 2 malocclusion than the 6-12 years old. There were no significant sex differences in the distribution of different types of malocclusions. Anterior crowding was the highest (88.9 per cent) in both sexes while crowding in the posterior segment was least encountered. There were no significant sex differences in the prevalence of overbite and overjet. It was concluded that the distribution and types of malocclusions among the 6-18 years old kenyans reflected the general pattern of malocclusion in many parts of Africa

Cancrum oris : a case report

Cancrum oris cases are occasionally treated in various hospitals in Kenya. Despite this; none of these cases have been have reported in literature. Besides; no epidemiological or treatment studies of cancrum oris have been carried out in Kenya. The authors report for the first time an unusual case of cancrum oris of a 2 year old Kenyan male which failed to respond to treatment after it was discovered at its early stages before involving the facial skeleton. Since most cancrum oris cases are a sequela of acute necrotizing gingivitis (ANG); prevention of cancrum oris can be achieved by early and prompt remedial measures once a diagnosis of ANG is established. Failure to do this might lead to cancrum oris with its attendant disfiguring complications; some of which might be impossible to treat in developing countries where the requisite personnel is lacking or inadequate