Dental caries risk assessment in primary school children aged 11 to 12 years: Case of Nyarugenge District, Rwanda

Background Dental caries in children is a public health concern affecting 60-90% of children worldwide. Dental caries perturbs children's eating ability, school performance as well as overall quality of life. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of dental caries and its risk factors among children aged 11 to 12 years in Nyarugenge District in Kigali, Rwanda. Methods The cross-sectional analytical study design involved 400 children from Nyarugenge district. By stratified sampling, we selected Gitega and Butamwa primary schools and used systematic sampling to choose the pupils into the sample. An interview and oral examination were performed. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were done. Results Dental caries was observed in 25.5% of children. Deep pits and fissures carried a two-fold risk of getting dental caries than children without deep pits and fissures (OR = 2.4, 95% CI = [1.5; 4.0], P-value < 0.001). Dental plaque was identified as a risk factor for getting dental caries (OR=2.2, 95% CI = [1.2; 3.3], P-value: 0.01). Conclusion Dental caries is a public health concern associated with poor oral hygiene, deep pit, and fissures among children aged 11 to 12 years old. Oral hygiene education, application of ART, and regular screening programs are in need.

Motivators and barriers for using E-learning during the COVID-19 pandemic among students at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda

Background To continue delivering the courses despite school closure during the covid-19 pandemic, the University of Rwanda abruptly shifted its teaching from traditional physical to online teaching. This was the compulsory medium of teaching during the lockdown period. This sudden change did not allow for adequate preparation for students. Objectives To assess the preparation of learners to use the e-learning platform, and to explore the factors that enabled or inhibited learners' use of the e-learning platform. Method This was a cross-sectional quantitative research design study done between June and July 2020. An online questionnaire was sent to all students registered in the College of Medicine and Health Sciences for the academic year 2019-2020. Results A total of 446 students completed the questionnaire. Students reported not being adequately oriented and unprepared to effectively use e-learning. Students were motivated to use e-learning when the learning objectives were clear, interactive, with engaging materials. Inadequate e-learning infrastructure, limited access to internet connectivity and inadequate devices were identified as the strongest barriers of using e-learning. Conclusion The covid-19 pandemic has brought a transformational opportunity to embrace a blended learning approach. To sustain such a transformation, proper and timely planning and strategies need to be invested.

Teaching and learning during COVID-19 crisis: faculty preparedness and factors influencing the use of E-learning platform at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda

Background Towards the beginning of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic spread worldwide and caused many schools to close. Many educational institutions transitioned from traditional face-to-face or blended to a total e-learning approach. The University of Rwanda rapidly shifted from a blended teaching and learning approach to a total e-learning approach. Thus,this study assessed the faculty preparedness and the factors influencing the use of e-learningplatforms at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences. Methods The study used a cross-sectional design. A web self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 450 CMHS faculty from June to July 2020, with a response rate of 34.4% (n=155). SPSS was used to describe nominal variables with frequencies and percentages. Similarly, continuous variables were analyzed by calculating median and interquartile ranges. The Chi-Square and Man-Whitney tests were also computed using SPSS. Results The majority of participants (93.7%) started using the e-learning approach, and 92.4% attended e-learning training. The top motivator for e-learning use was a personal interest in technology use (93.3%) and the leading barrier to using e-learning was the concern about access to students (77.1%). Conclusion This study found that faculty preparedness was significantly associated with e-learning use. The leading motivator and barriers were a personal interest in technology use and concern about access to students, respectively.