Oral health related quality of life among HIV positive patients attending two HIV outpatient clinics in Nigeria - a cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The human immunodeficiency virus infection remains a devastating disease of public health importance. OBJECTIVES: To assess the association between oral health and quality of life and the factors affecting the oral health related quality of life among HIV positive patients in Nigeria. METHODS: This was a cross sectional study of HIV positive patients attending two HIV outpatient clinics in Nigeria. Impact of oral health on quality of life was assessed using the OHIP-14. Oral health status was assessed by the DMFT and Simplified OHI indices. Level of significance was set at p< 0.05. RESULTS: Three hundred and fifty-two patients were seen, 64.2% being females. Prevalence of impact was 8.5%; and the mean OHIP scores was 8.05±9.54. Highest impact was "painful aching" 67(19.1%) with the domain of physical pain scoring the highest mean impact of 2.32. Most patients (88.6%) were on HAART. Following logistic regression, after controlling for potential confounders, independent factors associated with poor OHRQoL were perceived need for dental treatment, HAART use, and higher DMFT (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The domain of physical pain had the highest impact, while perceived need for dental treatment, HAART use and higher caries index were contributory to poor OHRQoL.

Bilateral tuberculate supernumerary teeth.

Supernumerary teeth are teeth in excess of the normal series occurring in any region of the dental arch. They are located mostly in the anterior maxillary region and are classified according to their location and morphology. The tuberculate type of supernumerary tooth possesses more than one cusp or tubercle (barrel shaped). It is rare to find bilateral tuberculate supernumerary teeth in the premaxillary region and when found they rarely erupt. This report describes a 13-year-old boy with erupted palatally placed bilateral tuberculate supernumerary teeth. The presence of these supernumerary teeth led to the labial displacement and rotations of the anterior maxillary teeth. The treatment involved extraction of the supernumerary teeth and a referral for orthodontic management of the crowding, displacement and rotations. The occurrence of erupted palatally placed tuberculate anterior teeth in this case is a rare experience. However, the associated orthodontic problems are within familiar spectrum.