Knowledge and sociodemographic predictors of shisha smoking among students in a Nigerian university.

Background: There is a global rise in shisha smoking amongst the youths. Information on the prevalence and knowledge of the constituents and the harmful effects of shisha smoking is important for the development of prevention strategies and policies. Aim: This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the knowledge and sociodemographic predictors of shisha smoking among the university students. Subjects and Methods: A structured 12-item questionnaire was administered to the university students at the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The prevalence, knowledge, and predictors of shisha smoking and the association between sociodemographic factors were studied. A P value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Among the 546 university students studied, 24.7% (135) had smoked shisha. The percentage of those knowledgeable about the constituents and its ill effects of shisha smoking was 14.8% (81), those with poor knowledge was 94.1% among shisha smokers. Females and social sciences students demonstrated statistically significant better knowledge of shisha (P = 0.007, and 0.027, respectively). The main predictors of shisha smoking were: poor knowledge (odd ratio, OR = 4.48, 95% confidence interval, CI [2.02, 9.93], P = 0.001), being in 400 level of study (OR = 2.63, 95% CI [1.12, 6.13], P = 0.724) and being in the faculty of social science (OR = 1.25, 95% CI [0.50, 3.09], P = 0.638). Conclusions: The prevalence of shisha smoking in this study was 24.7%, and the most influential factors were the level of study, type of faculty, and knowledge of the constituents and harmful effects of shisha. Lecturers and administrators of different faculties of the university should be engaged to include shisha smoking prevention programs in their curriculum.

Patients' attitude towards anterior teeth extraction an prosthetic replacement at the UPTH Dental Center, Port Harcourt.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to assess the attitude of patients towards anterior teeth extraction and prosthetic replacement of same at the Dental center of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH). METHODS: A retrospective review of the data of patients who presented for anterior teeth extraction and prosthetic replacement or anterior teeth extraction only over a two-year period was done using the records of the oral surgery and prosthetic clinics of UPTH Dental centre. Demographic and clinical information were retrieved and analyzed using the SPSS version 15.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). RESULTS: Ninety-two patients comprising 58 males(63%) and 34 females (37%), giving a male to female ratio of 1.7:1, were involved. The age range was 6 to 86 years with a median age of 34.5 years. Forty- three patients (46.7%) had both extraction and replacement within the study period while 49 patients (53.3%) had extraction without replacement. Trauma was the major cause of anterior tooth loss, especially among males and young individuals. Plastic removable partial denture was the main type of replacement offered. Fifty percent of the females (17/34) had replacement compared to 44.8% of the males (26/58). Among those who had both extraction and replacement, majority (74.4%, 32/43) requested for replacement within a month post extraction. Also, 86.2%t of the patients below 40 years either had immediate dentures or replacement within a month compared to 50% of those above 40 years. CONCLUSION: Most of the patients, surprisingly, tolerated anterior edentulousness. However, it appears that anterior edentulousness was more abhorent to female patients and younger individuals.