Oral health and oral health care practices in pregnant women - an urban perspective

The objective of this study was to describe the oral health status and oral health practices among pregnant women in the urban population of Karachi and to determine the need for oral health care education in this population. This study was a descriptive, cross sectional study conducted at department of Gynae and Obstetrics unit IV Sobhraj Maternity Hospital from 1st No-vember 2011 to 31st July2012. This study examined oral health status and oral health care practices by age, parity, ethnicity, education level by using a specifically designed questionnaire from a convenience sample of 507 pregnant women attending the antenatal clinic at Sobhraj Maternity Hospital. A total of 507 participants were recruited during the study period. Most participants were young multigravida, age ranging between 23 and 27 years .belonging to Urdu speaking and Sindhi ethnicity. It was seen that 24.9% were reported to be having good oral health. Multigravida, illiterate women had poor oral health status. 46.9% were advised to improve oral hygiene. 38.1% were referred to dentist. Dental caries and gingivitis were the common conditions for these dental referrals. 51.7% of women were advised proper dental cleansing. Urdu speaking and Sindhi ethnic group had better oral hygiene but they were more significant users of pan/ chalya/ gutka than others [P = 0.011]. This study highlights the poor oral health status of the older multigravidas and the alarmingly high consumption of pan/chalya/gutka among the young Urdu speaking and Sindhi pregnant population. The healthcare providers should include oral health screening and education of these women as part of antenatal care

Visual rehabilitation and intraocular pressure control after one site phacotrabeculectomy - an urban uni-center cross-sectional survey of Karachi, Pakistan

Cataract extraction and anti-glaucoma procedure together are regarded as an appropriate surgical intervention for co-existing uncontrolled glaucoma and visually significant cataract. Variety of surgical phacotrabeculectomy techniques have been proposed to reduce the frequency of complications and to solve the conflicting problems of water tight cataract incision and patient filtering glaucoma procedure. Our study will determine the visual recovery and intraocular pressure [IOP] control after single sitting phacoemulsification and trabeculectomy. The study is a comparative cross-sectional study. The participants included 50 patients randomly selected from out door patient department of Kulsoom Bai Valika Social Security SITE hospital, a tertiary care center. Routine one site phacotrabeculectomy was performed in all 50 patients and were followed over a period of 24 weeks. The data was entered on Statistical Package for Social Sciences [SPSS] Version 16 and analyzed. The pre-operative intraocular pressure [IOP] was 27.0 +/- 3.7, while the post-operative intraocular pressure [IOP] was 16.04 +/- 0.75 [p-value <0.0001]. The visual acuity which was evident [6/18] in 86% preoperatively and was reduced to 12% postoperatively [p-value <0.0001] while [6/9 - 6/12] visual acuity in the participants were 10% preoperatively and was improved in 80% postoperatively [p-value <0.0001]. Where as visual acuity [6/6] the participants were 4% preoperatively and 8% postoperatively [p-value <0.0001]

Patient perception for dentist's attire and hygienic practices

To determine the patient's preferences for the attire, general behavior and hygienic practices of the dentists during treatment and its influence on patient-dentist relationship in Karachi, Pakistan. This cross sectional Study was conducted using a questionnaire comprising of eleven closed ended questions related to perception for attire, behavior and hygienic practices of the dentist during the treatment of the patients. The study was conducted between August to September, 2008. A total of 100 patients participated in the study; ages were between 16 years to 65 years. The questions were asked from the patients by the dental students of a medical college. Demographic data were obtained together with the details to know the perception of the patients visiting for their treatment to the dental surgeons in different hospitals and private clinics of various towns of Karachi. Some degree of privacy was attempted while administering the questionnaire. Male subjects were interviewed by the male students, while female participants were interviewed by the female students. The data was entered and analyzed through SPSS Version 13.0. Patients showed significant preferences towards dentists with formal dress code, covered hair, use of perfume, use of hand gestures only to explain important points, wearing white coat, identity badge, mask and eyewear. Nobody liked the dentist not using eyewear and mask. It was also observed that 63% of the patients were of the opinion to have their surgeons to adopt sterilization of the equipments before going for the dental procedures. With regards to the general outlook for male dentist; significant preference was observed for clean shave. Eighty eight percent of the patients showed their liking towards friendly expressions of the dentists to improve their confidence in seeking the treatment from them Patients prefer the dentists with professional image, formal attire and short hair. The use of white coat, identity badge, mask, protective eyewear, perfume, and appropriate hand gestures and most importantly the friendly expression of the dentist were highly favored by the patients. The educated patients required their surgeons to adopt sterilization of the equipments before going for the dental procedures. Less educated people were not aware of the importance of sterilization of instruments. A greater sense of awareness regarding sterilization needs to be created even in the less educated people to avoid serious infections like hepatitis

Prevalence of functional GI disorder in the adult population of Arafat town, Karachi

To find out the prevalence of functional gastrointestinal disorders in the adult population of a low socioeconomic community in Pakistani population. A sample of 500 adult individuals was selected through a simple random sampling technique using simple random table. The Study conducted in 2004 based on a questionnaire comprising of 38 close ended questions as per ROME II criteria. The diagnosis established through the same criterion after analyzing the data on SPSS 10.0. The Study on 500 individuals revealed that a major proportion of the studied population 80.2% [401/500] were having one or more than one functional gastrointestinal disorders ranging from mild to server conditions, while only 19.8% [99/500] of them were free from any disorder. Out of these diseased individuals, the majority 77.8% [312/401] suffering from Multiple Gastrointestinal Symptoms, while 22.2% [89/401] were with that of Single Gastrointestinal Symptoms. Functional gastrointestinal disorders are prevalent in our community. These disorders found in individuals are of both Single and Multiple in nature. Although these are not fatal but may cause discomfort ranging from inconvenience to deep personal distress which may lead to great decline in their quality of life

profile of oral cancer presenting at ASH

To establish the location and association with halts of oral cancer patient Design: Descriptive study. Subjects: Sixty six patients presenting with squamous cell carcinoma at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital Karachi between February 1997 to March 2002 were studied. In this study of 60 patients, there is a slight preponderance of male to female ratio of 1: 3. Average age of cases was 49.47 + 9.28 [SD]. Buc cal mucosa was involved in 46.6% of the cases, being the most common site of involvement followed by mandibulo-alveolar mucosa and retromolar tongue. Leukoplakia 40% being the most frequently associated premalignant lesion followed by oral submucous fibrosis. Ulceration and exophytic growth combined were seen together in 47%. Bony erosion was seen radiographically in 43% of cases. The main reason of coming to the clinic was ulceration of mouth. Buccal mucosa is the most common site involved in SCC. Ulceration being the most clinical presentation. Any person presenting with mouth ulceration should be evaluated thoroughly