Assessing the frequency of dental pain and its associated factors in 11-14 years old children

Objective: the purpose of this study was to assess the frequency, characteristics and other factors affecting dental pain in 11-14 years old school children in Islamabad, Pakistan

Methods: a cross sectional survey was carried out in May 2015 to assess the frequency of dental pain in 11-14 years old school children attending government and private schools in Islamabad, Pakistan. Total samples consisted of 526 school children from 9 randomly selected government and 9 from private schools. Two hundred and seventy three children from government schools and 253 children from private schools participated in the study. Response rate was 83.65%. A standardised questionnaire comprised of 15 questions related to demographics and pain experience was completed by the children

Results: the frequency of dental pain in 11-14 years old school children was 29.1% in Islamabad, Pakistan. The frequency of dental pain in males was 30.2% and in females it was 27.6%. In this study, dental pain in the last six months was not significantly associated with gender in children [p=0.618]. Similarly dental pain was not statistically significantly associated with the type of school in which the child was studying [p=0.302]. However dental pain was significantly related to occupation of father [p=0.027]. The children, whose fathers had jobs as labourers, had a higher frequency of dental pain than fathers with white-collar jobs. Almost 36.7% of the children reporting dental pain described the intensity of pain as discomforting and 28.1% of children had mild pain. The pain did not radiate to the surrounding area in 36.7% of the children. The pain radiated to surrounding area to mild and moderate extent in 41.4% and 13.3% of children respectively. It was found that eating from the side of mouth with dental pain had no effect on the severity of pain in 15.6% of children. Almost 13.3% of children claimed that eating made the pain moderately more severe

Conclusion: overall the frequency of dental pain in children was 29%. Dental pain was not associated with gender of the school child. Efforts should be directed to determine the cause of dental pain in school children. Prevention of dental pain can be done by promoting oral health in children to reduce the impact of dental pain on quality of life

Socioeconomic status and smokeless tobacco consumption in fishermen community of a coastal area of Karachi

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of Gutka consumption and its relationship with socioeconomic status among fisherman community of Costal area of Karachi. Methods: Socioeconomic status and information about Gutka habit was collected from 408 fisherman of Ibrahim Hyderi, a coastal area of Karachi from 15th July 2014 to 21st July 2014.The Kuppuswamy scale was used to measure socioeconomic status [SES]. A subject was considered to be belonging to higher socioeconomic status if the family head's education and the number of earning members were higher and the number of children and dependents was less since childhood in his or her household. Single investigator carried out structured face-to-face interview. Convenient sampling technique was used. Results: Out of 408 subjects, 326 regularly consumed Gutka, the common reasons for the habit were the co-workers' influence and to keep awake at work. The prevalence of the Gutka chewing habit was much lesser [25%] among the people belonging to higher social class when compared to the minimal or no improvement group [75%]. A majority of those free from the habit [73.7%] were belonging to the group, which showed improved educational attainment. Among those with good social status, the percentage of workers with high frequency of Gutka chewing and those with a longer duration of the Gutka chewing habit was low when compared to the lower social class group. Conclusion: This study based on data collected by questioner and analyzed on SPSS version 17.It is recommended that intervention in the form of primary and secondary smokeless tobacco use, prevention with association and careful planning including restricted resources available to be implemented efficiently

Clinical audit and performance measurement in a newly established service of oral and maxillofacial surgery

The objective of this clinical audit was to evaluate the performance of a newly established Oral and maxillofacial surgery department during the first twenty four months of its existence.It was a Cross-sectional study. The audit took place from September 2011 till September 2013 consisting of 24 months duration at oral and maxillofacial surgery department of Rawal Institute of Health Sciences, Islamabad. Data were collected by the staff members during their routine work. Data was then compiled, categorized and analyzed, to evaluate the quality of work. During the audit period 8522 patients who visited the Department from September 2011 to Sep 2013 were included in the study irrespective of age and gender. Among which 5237[61.45%] were male and 3285[38.55%] were female [3:2].Majority of the patients were from Islamabad and Rawalpindi [85.70%] with the peak in the first decade of life. Maxillofacial injuries and Pathologies comprised 210 patients [2.46%], Patients who suffered maxillofacial trauma patient's mandible fractures were the most common 83[39.72%]. A service like this in the private sector is both valuable and commercially viable. The findings of this audit can be used to forecast the future service use. It will also provide the parameters for auditing the services provided by the department in future

Prevalence of malocclusion in Lethrar-a suburb of Islamabad

The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of the malocclusion in Lethrar, a suburb of Islamabad. Residents of this suburb have come from various parts of Pakistan and settled there. Malocclusion effects oral hygiene and functions and may cause temporomandibular joint [TMJ] dysfunction syndrome. 36 subjects, 28 male [77.7%] and 8 female [22.2%] between the ages of 12 years to 64 years participated in the study. They were examined at Rawal Institute of Health Sciences, Dental Hospital using standard examination protocol. Of the 36 subjects, 29 subjects [80.5%] came from Punjab, 3 [8.3%] from Kashmir, one [2.7%] from Sindh, one [2.7%] from Baluchistan. Of the examined subjects, 32 [88.8%] had class I occlusion, 4 [11.1%] had class II, 18 [50%] subjects were with crowding of lower anterior teeth, and 2 [5.05%] experienced clicking on opening and closing the mouth