Dentists' perspectives, practices, and factors associated with informed consent process for fixed prosthodontic treatment: a cross-sectional study of kampala metropolitan area, Uganda.

BACKGROUND: Dentists have a legal and ethical obligation to obtain informed consent from patients before carrying out treatment. In Uganda, the process of obtaining informed consent in dentistry is not well documented. The aim of the present study was to determine dentists' perspectives and practices regarding informed consent to fixed prosthodontic treatment (FPT) in Kampala Metropolitan, Uganda. METHODS: A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted among 153 dentists from July to September 2023. Data were collected using a semi-structured self-administered questionnaire that included both closed- and open-ended questions. The questionnaire included items on participants' sociodemographic information, perspectives, and practices about informed consent for FPT. Perspectives were rated using ten items on a five-point Likert scale. The minimum possible total score was 10, and the maximum possible score was 50. Descriptive statistics and Poisson regression were used to summarize and analyze the quantitative data, and the significance level was set at p < 0.05. Open-ended items were analyzed using content analysis. RESULTS: The majority (83.9%) of the participants were general dentists with working experience ranging from 1 to 38 years and a median of 8 years. The majority were familiar with the concept of informed consent and had positive perspectives regarding its use for FPT. The mean score for perspectives was 39.27 (SD, 5.42). However, there were variations in the practices of the dentists. More than three-quarters (87.6%) reported that they always obtained the patient's informed consent before FPT. Less than a third (29.4%) obtained written consent for FPT. About half of the dentists provided information regarding the procedure, benefits, and risks of treatment during the consent process. Bivariate analysis showed that the use of written consent for FPT was significantly (p < 0.05) associated with having a work experience of more than 10 years and having had training involving informed consent after undergraduate studies. CONCLUSION: The present study provides baseline data regarding perspectives and practices regarding informed consent for FPT among dentists in Uganda. It is recommended that regular training courses be developed to highlight the importance of improved informed consent practices for patient protection and to instruct dentists about obtaining valid informed consent. There is a need for future research to streamline guidelines for the informed consent process in dental care in Uganda.

Dental Practitioners' Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice in Caries Risk Assessment and Management: A Cross-sectional Survey in Kampala Metropolitan, Uganda.

AIM: The objective of this study was to determine the knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding caries risk assessment (CRA) and management among dental practitioners in Kampala Metropolitan, Uganda. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 270 dental practitioners in Kampala Metropolitan, Uganda, in May 2021. The participants were dental surgeons and public health dental officers. A self-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect data. The questionnaire included items about participants' sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge, attitude, and practices in CRA and management. Attitude and practices were rated using different Likert scales. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square/Fisher's exact and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with post-hoc Bonferroni tests were used to analyze the data. The significance level was set at p <0.05. RESULTS: About 60.7% of the participants were public health dental officers with a median age of 30 years (interquartile range [IQR], 27-60). Overall, the participants were familiar with the current concepts regarding CRA and management. More than 70% of the participants correctly identified risk factors and indicators of dental caries. Most participants (98.5%) had a positive attitude toward performing CRA. However, their practices regarding caries management were inadequate as majority (>75%) of participants reported that they never or occasionally recommended evidence-based products like topical fluoride, probiotics, or xylitol products in the prevention and management of dental caries. Dental surgeons had significantly better knowledge and practices than public health dental officers (p <0.05). CONCLUSION: In the present study, the participants were familiar with the current concepts about CRA and had a positive attitude toward CRA. However, their practices regarding caries prevention and management were inadequate. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The study provided baseline data about knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding CRA and caries management among dental practitioners in Uganda. It is recommended to design training courses in evidence-based protocols in the prevention and management of dental caries for dental practitioners in Uganda.

Prevalence, Severity and Factors Associated with Dental Caries Among School Adolescents in Uganda: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Dental caries is one of the most prevalent diseases in developing countries. However, there is limited data on the prevalence and factors associated with dental caries in Ugandan adolescents. The purpose of the present study was to describe the prevalence, severity of dental caries and to determine the factors associated with the disease among school adolescents in Uganda. A cross sectional study was conducted at two secondary schools from Kampala (n=197) and Mukono (n=209) districts, Uganda. At both schools, random sampling was used to select the participating classes and the 406 adolescents (11-19 years) eligible to participate in the research. Dental caries was examined using the Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index, and a questionnaire was used to collect other relevant data in form of an oral interview. The data were analyzed using STATA version 12. The data was declared as survey data and all analyses were done with svy command. The prevalence of caries was determined as a percentage of individuals with DMFT score ≥1. Modified Poisson regression models were utilized to assess the association between prevalence, severity of dental caries and independent variables. The overall prevalence of dental caries was 66.0% and mean DMFT score of 2.18±2.67. Dental caries prevalence and severity were significantly (p<0.05) associated with tooth cleaning device, age and history of previous dental visit. There was a high prevalence and severity of dental caries among adolescents, which emphasizes the urgent need to develop and design appropriate interventions to reduce the disease burden.

Dental Caries Pattern and Treatment Needs among Ugandan Adolescent Students: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Dental caries is still a major public health problem owing to its high prevalence and incidence in several regions. Planning and development of effective preventive and treatment modalities for the management of dental caries demand information on disease pattern and treatment needs of the populations. However, there is a paucity of this information in Uganda. The aim of the present study was to identify the dental caries pattern and treatment needs among Ugandan adolescent students. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among 11- to 19-year-old adolescents attending two secondary schools in Kampala and Mukono districts of Uganda. At both schools, random sampling was used to select the participating classes and the adolescents. Decayed teeth and treatment needs were recorded using the World Health Organization Basic Oral Health Survey criteria. A total of 406 adolescents comprising of 249 female and 157 male students participated in the study. Data were analysed using STATA, version 12.0. The prevalence of decayed teeth (DT) was expressed as a percentage of individuals with DT score ≥1. The treatment needs were categorised into three groups. Associations between dependent and independent variables were evaluated using cross-tabulation, chi-square test, and Poisson regression analysis. The overall prevalence of decayed teeth was 62.6% and mean DT was 1.7 ± 2.3. A total of 696 decayed teeth were observed, and the molar teeth, particularly the second molar (50.6%), were the most significantly affected. The prevalence of caries was higher in the mandible (51.4%) compared to the maxilla though the difference was not statistically significant. Decayed teeth were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with difficulty in chewing, history of dental pain in the past 12 months, poor perception of tooth state, and the female participants. Majority (59.4%) of the study participants required restorations of teeth. About 83.2% (n = 579) of the teeth needed restorations, while 44 needed extractions. In conclusion, the prevalence of decayed teeth was high among the study population. It is recommended that school health programmes should include oral health preventive and curative interventions to achieve optimum health.

Prevalence, severity and factors associated with dental caries among school adolescents in Uganda: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Dental caries is one of the most prevalent diseases in developing countries. However, there is limited data on the prevalence and factors associated with dental caries in Ugandan adolescents. The purpose of the present study was to describe the prevalence, severity of dental caries and to determine the factors associated with the disease among school adolescents in Uganda. A cross sectional study was conducted at two secondary schools from Kampala (n=197) and Mukono (n=209) districts, Uganda. At both schools, random sampling was used to select the participating classes and the 406 adolescents (11-19 years) eligible to participate in the research. Dental caries was examined using the Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index, and a questionnaire was used to collect other relevant data in form of an oral interview. The data were analyzed using STATA version 12. The data was declared as survey data and all analyses were done with svy command. The prevalence of caries was determined as a percentage of individuals with DMFT score ≥1. Modified Poisson regression models were utilized to assess the association between prevalence, severity of dental caries and independent variables. The overall prevalence of dental caries was 66.0% and mean DMFT score of 2.18±2.67. Dental caries prevalence and severity were significantly (p<0.05) associated with tooth cleaning device, age and history of previous dental visit. There was a high prevalence and severity of dental caries among adolescents, which emphasizes the urgent need to develop and design appropriate interventions to reduce the disease burden.

Resumo A cárie dentária é uma das doenças mais prevalentes nos países em desenvolvimento. No entanto, existem dados limitados sobre a prevalência e os fatores associados à cárie dentária em adolescentes de Uganda. O objetivo do presente estudo foi descrever a prevalência e severidade da cárie dentária e determinar os fatores associados à doença em adolescentes escolares de Uganda. Um estudo transversal foi realizado em duas escolas secundárias dos distritos de Kampala (n = 197) e Mukono (n = 209), Uganda. Nas duas escolas, foi utilizada amostragem aleatória para selecionar as turmas participantes e os 406 adolescentes (11 a 19 anos) elegíveis para participar da pesquisa. A cárie dentária foi examinada usando o índice de dentes cariados, perdidos e obturados (CPOD), e um questionário foi usado para coletar outros dados relevantes na forma de uma entrevista oral. Os dados foram analisados no STATA versão 12. Os dados foram declarados como dados da pesquisa e todas as análises foram realizadas com o comando svy. A prevalência de cárie foi determinada como porcentagem de indivíduos com escore de CPOD ≥1. Modelos de regressão de Poisson modificados foram utilizados para avaliar a associação entre prevalência, gravidade da cárie dentária e variáveis independentes. A prevalência geral de cárie dentária foi de 66,0% e o escore médio do CPOD de 2,18 ± 2,67. A prevalência e severidade de cárie dentária foram significativamente (p<0,05) associadas ao dispositivo de limpeza dentária, idade e histórico de visita odontológica prévia. Houve alta prevalência e gravidade de cárie dentária entre os adolescentes, o que enfatiza a necessidade urgente de desenvolver e projetar intervenções apropriadas para reduzir a carga da doença.

Socioeconomic and nutritional factors associated with age of eruption of third molar tooth among Ugandan adolescents.

This study aimed to establish the influence of socioeconomic and nutritional factors on the age of eruption of the mandibular third molar among Ugandans aged 10-20 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study carried out in a dental clinic of Mulago Hospital between January and December 2017. The background information was obtained from the participants using a questionnaire in the form of an oral interview. The anthropometric measurements were obtained using a tape measure and a weighing scale, while dental radiographs were used to determine the eruption stages of the mandibular third molar. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The data were analyzed using STATA 13 and summarized using descriptive statistics and multivariate analyses. Statistical significance was inferred at P < 0.05. RESULTS: Participants in the overweight body mass index category were statistically significantly associated with the age of the mandibular third molar eruption (P < 0.05) compared to their normal counterparts. There was no statistically significant association between socioeconomic status and age of eruption of third molar teeth (P > 0.05). Age of eruption was statistically significantly higher among males than females (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The findings of the present study reveal that overweight influences early eruption of the mandibular third molar tooth, although there is no trend between socioeconomic status and the age of eruption of the mandibular third molar.