Utilization of Oral Care Services and Oral Hygiene Practices of Medical Doctors in a TertiaryHospital in Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

The medical professionals are more likely to encounter vulnerable populations than dental professionals, because patients with dental issues often visit the physicians first. Hence, it is imperative for the medical doctors to maintain good self-oral care practices. The objective of this study, therefore, was to evaluate the oral self‑care practices and dental service utilization attendance of medical doctors in different specialities of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted among medical practitioners in UPTH. Ethical approval was obtained from the Health Research and Ethics Committee of the Institution, followed by participants’ consent before commencing the study. Data was collected over 3 months period using semi-structured, self-administered questionnaires. Statistical analysis was done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0 (IBM SPSS Inc. Chicago Illinois). Statistical significance was considered at p < 0.05 at 95% confidence limits.

There were 154 (92[59.7%] males and 62[40.3%] females) participants, with a M: F of 1.48:1. There were 71 (46.1%) registrars, 28 (18.2%) senior registrars and 55 (35.7%) consultants, recruited from the various departments of medicine and surgery. Eighty-two (53.2%) participants brush their teeth twice daily, 140(90.9%) used toothbrushes as cleaning aids, 81(52.6%) brush using vertical and horizontal techniques. One hundred and nineteen participants (77%) visited the dental clinic previously; more males visited the dental clinic between 6-12 months compared to females (p=0.361). More consultants visited the dental clinic less than 6 months ago, while more registrar visited 6-12 months ago (p=0.028). Considering the reasons for the dental visits, half of the registrars, 5(50.0%) visited for routine dental check-up. More of the consultants 17(37.8%) and the registrars 17(37.8%) visited for scaling and polishing. (p=0.822).