Sodium hypochlorite and its use as root canal irrigant: a survey among ghanaian dental practitioners

Background: The majority of endodontic treatment in Ghana is provided by general dental practitioners due to the absence of specialists in endodontics. Sodium hypochlorite has been described as one of the commonly used irrigation solutions during endodontic treatment. However, there are no published reports on its use in Ghana. Aim: The study was to determine the proportion of Ghanaian dental practitioners who have used sodium hypochlorite for irrigation and the concentrations they usually use. Materials and methods: Self -administered questionnaires were mailed to dental practitioners in private clinics, government hospitals and clinics, teaching hospitals and training institutions across the country between December 2015 and March 2016. The collated data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2010 and SPSS 20.0.Results: The most commonly used root canal irrigant was 2.5% Sodium Hypochlorite (Milton®). This was routinely used by 31 (73.7%) of the respondents as root canal irrigant while normal saline solution was used regularly by only 6(15.8%) respondents. The various concentrations of sodium hypochlorite used were 0.5%, 2.5%,1%and 5.0%; with the following percentage-use respectively, 42.9%, 32.1%,21.4%and 6.1%. Three (10.7%) respondents had reported experiencing some complications with the use of sodium hypochlorite. Conclusion: Sodium hypochlorite is the most commonly used root canal irrigant by dental practitioners in Ghana. The concentrations usually used ranges between 0.5% and 5.0%

Predictors of Subjective Well-Being among Older Ghanaians

Background: Later years of life are accompanied by many physical; emotional and environmental changes which may impact on the well-being of the individual. Many factors are known to influence the subjective well-being of older adults; but most; if not all of this information was the result of studies in the Western world. This study aimed at obtaining and documenting the predictors of subjective well-being (SWB) among older Ghanaians. Methods: Data for the study was obtained from the WHO SAGE study. The single item measure of life satisfaction was used to determine subjective wellbeing. Descriptive statistics as well as logistic regression analysis were carried out to determine the predictors of SWB. Results: A total of 4724 individuals aged 50 years and above responded to the questionnaires. Of these 50.4 were males. Following multivariate logistic regression analysis; age; sex; educational level; income and ethnic background were found to significantly affect the SWB of older Ghanaians. Being male was associated with higher level of SWB (OR=1.68; CI: 1.39 - 2.03). For those 50 years and above; being younger (50-59 years) was also associated with a high level of SWB (OR=17.72; CI: 10.13-30.98). Earning a low income and having low educational level were both associated with low levels of SWB (OR=0.304; CI: 0.22-0.42; and OR=0.47; CI: 0.37-0.60 respectively). Ewes (p=0.027); Grumas (p=0.002) and Mole-Dagbons (p=0.04) had significantly higher SWB compared to the other ethnic groups. Conclusion: Among older Ghanaians; factors that positively influence SWB are younger age; male sex; high educational level and high income