Oral health knowledge, attitude and oral hygiene practices among adults in Rwanda

Introduction: oral diseases (OD), commonly dental caries and periodontitis are a major public health problem. Poor oral hygiene has been associated with OD, causing tooth loss, which leads to disability and compromised patients' oral health. In Rwanda, OD is among the leading causes of morbidity at the health center level. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and oral health practices among adult participants in Rwanda Methods: a descriptive cross-sectional study was done among participants attending public health facilities in Nyarugenge District, Rwanda. Participants were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed using frequency distribution, percentage distribution, and bivariate and multivariate logistic regression at a 5% significant level. Results: among 426 participants who were interviewed, 39.44% (n=168) were 18-27 years old and the majority, 61.5% (n=262) were female. Poor oral health knowledge was found in 42% (n=179) of the participants, whilst 12.44% (n=53) showed poor oral health attitudes, and 67.37% (n=287) were found to have poor oral health practice. Participants with a high school level of education were more likely to have better oral health knowledge and the results were statistically significant aOR: 1.79, 95% CI 1.14; 2.82; p = 0.011 Conclusion: the findings of our study showed that almost half of the participants had poor oral health knowledge. Oral health attitude and oral hygiene practices were also lacking. There is a need to enhance oral health education in this community to improve their oral health knowledge, attitudes, and practices.

Audit of dental record-keeping at a university dental hospital

Background: Good record-keeping is fundamental in clinical practice and essential for practising dental practitioners and those in training. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the level of compliance with clinical record-keeping by undergraduate dental students and staff at a university dental hospital. Setting: The selected study setting was the Admissions and Emergency section at a university dental hospital. Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional review was undertaken of 257 clinical records. The CRABEL scoring system was used to evaluate 12 variables. The 12 variables included: patient name, patient hospital number, date of examination, patient main complaint, medical history, dental history, proposed treatment, proposed procedure for next visit, patient consent signature, treatment and treatment codes, student name and signature, clinical supervisor name and signature. STATA® 13 was used for descriptive analysis and all tests were conducted at 5% significance level. Results: The median CRABEL score was 87 and interquartile range (IQR: 70­92). A CRABEL score of 100 was achieved by the students in the variable patient main complaint, indicating a 100% compliance with this variable. Other variables such as signature of supervisors showed poor compliance. The CRABEL scores showed no statistically significant difference (p = 0.86) between the students and clinical supervisors. Conclusion: The overall audit showed that there was poor compliance with record-keeping. Contribution: The study highlights the importance of good record keepings so that key information can be accessed for proper diagnosis and treatment of the patient. An electronic filing system presents an alternative manner of documenting medical records.