Private companies in the Nigeria’s dentistry industry are disquiet about the state of the nation revealing that they now experience low business patronage more than ever. And consequently Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) in the practice are helplessly winding up.
Managing Dentist; Choice Dental, Dr. Sade Akiode made this known over the weekend, calling on the President Muhammadu Buhari led federal government to save the profession by fixing the nation’s economy.
During the chat, the dentist explained that dentistry practitioners are silently passing through hard times consequent drastic drop on patients call for dentistry services in the country.
Though there is still low level of dentistry education among Nigerians which really is a call to duty for government, advocacy groups and private entities stakeholders but the case is now getting worse as a result of the poor state of the nation economy on citizens.
“No patient should die or lose a tooth but reverse is the trend in Nigeria today and the severance rate is increasing and getting too worrisome by the day despite the fact that there are certified professional helps around,” Akiode said.
She further explained that “We are working on the low level of dentistry education through awareness and advocacy programs but government should alongside look into business growth opportunities for our patients and Nigerians at large as a way to help private companies in the industry.”
Doctor Akiode recently held an open day initiative that availed business exhibition and networking opportunities for guest at the clinic. She said this was conceived just as dentistry practitioners awaits federal government economic restructure and prompt intervention to save the practice.
She explained the initiative,” We practitioners know that economic downturn as one of the reasons Nigerian patients rarely call for the professional services aside the general low level of education on dentistry in the country.”
“Today, what we are doing at Choice Dental is an open house for friends, families and patients. Basically some of our patients are complaining about the down turn of the economy and we thought of a way to help them by having them exhibit their businesses so that when people come, eat and have fun, they could also buy some of the things they exhibit.
“Also we want people to come in and know what choice dental and dentistry is about because most people don’t go to the dentist and we need to educate them more and more. People don’t go to the dentist and a lot of ailments could be prevented but our people don’t know this.
Nigerians should visit a dentist at least twice in a year. “if people go to the dentist they will understand that we are here to save them and help them safe money. If they don’t visit dentists regularly they will end up spending more money. Dentistry is all about saving everybody’s money,” she said.
Tag: dentist
-
How recession is affecting our job – Dentist
-
An encounter with a dentist
SIR: I have always had ‘delicate’ teeth. As a kid, my mum always taunted me with “you don’t have teeth.” Now, my wife has taken over the taunt. Tough meat? Spare me.
If you lost your first tooth just tearing off the nylon covering a loaf of bread, then you would understand.
I became afraid of anything related to the teeth, including of course a dentist. I never knew I would ever go to the dentist, until I broke one of my molars while eating bone.
No pain can be compared to a toothache. Not even labour pain. At least, with that, women get moments of respite.
I had no choice. I had to visit a dentist. I was just 15. I thought it was my head the female dentist wanted to yank off and not my tooth.
After the procedure, I was filled with a lot of admiration for female dentists. But I told myself I could never study dentistry. After many years, my phobia for dentists won’t just go away.
Then a couple of weeks ago, to my surprise, I found myself booking an appointment with the dentist. I could not believe I was going to see the dentist without a painful tooth to push me.
Dr Edema, the dentist, as part of the checkup told me I’m required to do what is called scaling and polishing. The dental therapist, Mrs. Oyebade, did a good job of reassuring me.
It was over in no time. Not only were my teeth squeaky clean, I also felt a weight off my teeth. I was happy to be told I had good oral hygiene compared to many other people. After the procedure I was given oral hygiene instruction.
I was told the proper way to brush my teeth. I also knew that there were hundreds of dormant bacteria in my mouth. In the night, these bacteria feed on food debris. And if you don’t brush at night, you can develop dental caries.
I had always thought that love birds who do breakfast in bed were harming their teeth, until I got to know that when you wake up you could rinse your mouth first with water or mouth wash solution. But remember, you must have brushed your teeth last thing at night. Then you can have your breakfast. After that, you can brush your teeth. I had secretly done this, more out of laziness, not knowing it was okay. After lunch you can just gargle.
You should not wet the toothbrush before brushing, as you need friction to brush well. You don’t need much toothpaste, just the size of a pea will do. You should brush for at least two minutes. It is recommended that you brush twice a day. Not more than three times a day.
Brushing more than three times a day might not be ideal because too much brushing can wear out tooth enamel and damage your gums.
You should not also forget to brush the tongue. Cells of the tongue die daily. And accumulation of dead cells can cover the taste buds and cause mouth odour. It is advised to change your toothbrush after about three months, because the bristles often get scattered at about that time and will no longer work effectively.
Dentists also say that no matter how well you brush, if you don’t floss you are not doing it right. Unfortunately, most of us don’t floss. Flossing is as important as brushing, if not more important, they say. This is because it gets food caught between your teeth that you can’t get with a toothbrush and helps protect your gums better. When you ask dentists if you really have to floss your teeth, most of them will reply “only the ones you want to keep.”
As those who own cars know, if you don’t service your car every three months, it can break down, so it is with your teeth. For the teeth, servicing is every six months. We are also advised to eat fruits and vegetables. Fruits generally help strengthen our teeth and are good cleansers, as they help saliva flow. Veggies like carrots and garden eggs are good because they have fiber.
Be careful with candies and chocolates. And when you do you must rinse your mouth immediately. Also, be careful with diet sodas, energy drinks, and sour candies, and even healthy things like orange juice and apple juice because of the acid they have that can soften tooth enamel and make it to wear. So, make sure you wait about half an hour before you brush. That allows your saliva time to restore tooth enamel.
March 23 was World Oral Health Day. And this year’s theme was ‘Smile for life’. But China, on its own, observes September 20 as national “Love your teeth day” to increase awareness of the importance of dental care. Medical conditions like diabetes can be detected early from a visit to the dentist.
Oral health may affect, or be affected by, or even help worsen cardiovascular diseases like endocarditic. Some researchers suggest that heart disease, blocked arteries and stroke might be related to the inflammation and infections that oral bacteria can cause. Periodontitis has also been linked to premature birth and low birth weight.
Some researchers also believe that tooth loss before age 35 could be a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease.
It is hoped that this serves as a wake-up call for us to care more for our pearly whites. I can’t wait for my next visit.
- Cosmas Odoemena,
a medical practitioner, Lagos.
-
Emergency where there is no dentist
he series of write ups will deal with emergencies that may occur in dental health and the first aid that may be applied in such circumstances.
The population of dentists serving the country is about four thousand four hundred. This number is totally insufficient for the country of roughly a population of a hundred and fifty million people. There is a great lining towards the south-west and south-south geo-political zone with half of the number practising in the region. A sizeable number is present in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja. Access to dental facilities is therefore limited, it is hoped that the series will assist readers in getting first aid treatment prior to finding an oral health facility.
Dislocated jaw
The mouth and facial skeleton are composed of joints between the mandibular head and the temporal bone of the skull .The joint derives the name from the component bones making the joint, Temporomandibular joint. (TMJ).
The dislocated jaw occurs when someone opens the mouth too wide as in yawning; the mouth is unable to close. The mouth will remain opened and that is referred to as dislocation. The mouth (jaw) would therefore remain open and stuck in an open position, preventing closure, tiredness of the muscle, reduced speech, dribbling of saliva, difficulty in chewing, sincethe mechanism of chewing involved the opening and closing of the jaw.
The jaw can accidentally be dislocated during routine dental treatment and this should not be a deterrent to receiving dental treatment!
The initial emergency treatment for a dislocated jaw will be to get the jaw supported, the neck supported against the wall and the person placed on the floor.
The person giving the first aid should sit in front or kneel in front of the person whichever is comfortable. The fingers should be put under the jaws outside the mouth. The thumbs should be placed beside the last tooth, molars in this case, not on the teeth as the individuals may bite them during the manoeuvre.
Slight downward and some pressure should be applied with the ends of the thumb to force the jaw quickly downwards and backwards. If after two or three attempts, the jaw does not move into place give some analgesics and see the nearest dentist. The dentist may need to put the person to sleep or sedate to reduce pain and relax stiff muscles before releasing the dislocated jaw back to the original position.
Once relocated, the jaw should be supported by a head and chin bandage to support the jaw for at least five days, over the counter analgesics should be given to the person to cope with the inflammation and pain.
Soft diet should be taken for the next couple of days. The mouth should not be opened too widely such as in yawning lest the dislocation happens again.
The first aid tips are not a substitute for treatment, they are a stop gap to the period that elapses before help can be reached or accessed.
The idea of a twenty four hour dental service is still restricted to the teaching hospitals, general hospitals and the federal medical centres that have on call dentists to deal with emergency cases.
Infection control in Dental surgery
The dental surgery is a mini theatre where invasive procedures are carried out and there is a risk of contamination for every procedure carried out. It becomes paramount that infection control is most important.
There is a conscious effort to ensure that germs are not introduced from one person to the other, from the dentist to the patient and vice versa.
The dentist and the staff have a duty to ensure the cleanliness of the surgery, the instruments in use and where possible disposable materials should be used. Barrier protection for the dentist and the patient are advisable. The dentist wears a protective clothing, uses sterile and puncture resistant gloves, face mask to prevent breathing to and into the patients mouth or from the patients mouth. To prevent splatter, surfaces should be easily cleaned and waste disposed properly dental needles are for single use, they are not to be reused per any chance. You are within rights to ask questions, if in doubt do get assurance from the dentist that the instruments are sterilised and made safe for use between patients.
It is a disservice to the dentist for patients to withhold their medical history, if you have any fears and anything you need to let the dentist know it will be most appreciated to inform the dentist. Health professionals are duty bound to ensure confidentiality of patient’s record except it is a matter of public interest in which case proper legal proceedings will be initiated.
-
Importance of a visit to a dentist (2)
A visit to the dentist should be interactive whereby questions regarding infection control are asked. And enquiries on essentials such as dental gloves, face masks and sterilising units for instruments are made to ensure things be in place. This is a right of the patient, it also protects against quackery. Hence the dentist’s mirrors, probes and instruments should be sterile and aseptic.Diagnostic aids such as dental x-ray machines most often are a requirement for best practices – whilst this may not necessarily be compulsory. It is essential.
Questions about specific treatment will be gladly answered by your dentists. The dentists is able to explain alternative treatments should such subsists.
Records of treatment are kept confidential. These are not shared with third party except in medicolegal situations or with the consent of the parents/custodians in the case of a minor.
Ethics makes it essential that dentist provide maximum satisfaction and comparable standard of oral health care for their patient’s treatment needs, with the least discomfort to the patient from the period of entry into the surgery till subsequent departure from clinic, including post consultation period.
The dental team is trained to be courteous. The environment should be friendly both in its decor and colour scheme. Cleanliness is paramount, educational leaflets often are available whilst in the reception area.
The use of the media via websites of dental practices endears the patients to be practice. Feedback mechanisms and suggestion box (satisfaction box) have been used by some surgeries in recent times.
Efforts should be made to keep tenaciously to appointments at time of the surgery to avoid delays, lost man-hours. Accessibility of dental clinics is also essential, every effort is made by dentist that members of the society do not go through stress in accessing his clinic or service. The location on the ground floor is good and provision of ramps and other easy assisitive devices be in place to ensure wheel chair accessibility of people with mobility problems or the physically challenged.
The baby-mother friendly/children friendly corners in the waiting room endears the patients to a not too hospital setting. Newer practices are using children programmes -cartoons, posters, soft relaxing music to make the dental experience more pleasant.
Intra oral cameras are made to depict oral situations visually. They could even be mailed or printed. Interactive services are available at some surgeries’ centres.
Recommended oral products or display can be easily accessed by patients. The drawback for many may be financial, however the presence of health insurance schemes makes this less of a burden.
A twice-yearly visit to the dentist or at the least once a year is recommended for all and sundry. Do not wait until you have symptoms of oral health problems before visiting the dentist.
-
Importance of a visit to a dentist
As humans, we all desire healthy, clean and beautiful set of teeth. It is the desire of any dentist to ensure people have good oral hygiene. He encourages visits to the dentist’s clinic, increase awareness, offer services -preventive, curative types.
Visiting the dentist for curative purposes is no picnic, in all reality. What! With trepidation associated with the dentist’s surgery akin to the television classic “Hammer house of horrors”- a house of pain.
A visit to the dentist is therefore not the average person’s idea of a fun trip. There seems to be no age predisposition to old, young, middle aged, neither is there any gender preference male or female when tooth aches.
As the maxim, ‘prevention is better than cure’ in health care, is most true in dental health, this column will seek to let readers realise the importance of visits to dentist clinic. Such should be as routine as servicing any piece of machinery or equipment. The body literarily speaking, being the machine. Regular dental visits inculcates a culture of preventive oral health and indeed general being for all.
A visit to the surgery is of great benefits as enumerated below:
• The dentist would be able to detect any developmental anomalies most especially in children, examination of the oral cavity and tissues may reveal medical conditions. The oral cavity most often may be showing the earliest symptoms of medical ailments example anaemia, several vitamin deficiencies, viral, bacteria, fungal infections (candidiasis) in adults. Many salient chronic conditions such as diabetes mellitus, autoimmune diseases, clonn’s disease, bowel syndrome may manifest in the oral cavity. Ulcers which may be the signs of more occult general medical conditions also manifest.
• The dentist will be able to examine, ask relevant questions about the general well being. A regular routine oral check up could be likened to a car search by the Ministry of Transport (M.O.T). A dentist check will entails examining all teeth and surrounding tissue, the health, vitality, cleanliness, colour as sometimes discoloured teeth may be due not only to stains from coffee, tobacco, colanuts, coloured food substances, dyes, or beetroot etc.
• Examination would reveal evidence of excessive salts like fluoride in the water. It could also be as a result of exposure to poisonous substances like lead, copper etc . The presence of colour producing bacteria –chromogenic bacteria which may produce a black band stains around the teeth in children/adults alike is usually a source of concern.
The gum tissue may be excessively dark. A dentist will be able to cross check and reassure that this is normal due to presence of the pigment of melanin. The dentist is able to reassure affected individuals there is no abnormality. The dentist through examination can anticipate malocclusion problems- a situation whereby the teeth become mal-aligned, erupting in the wrong places, misdirected or failure to erupt or missing, thereby causing, gaps, protruded, through increased angulation retroclined etc. The dentist is able to use aids like radiographs (X-rays) to vividly explain the situation and available treatments (interventions). The dentists would be glad to offer services like a frank oral health education prevention regime including best dietary advice to prevent oral health diseases.
A visit to the dentist should be interactive whereby questions regarding infection control are essential that dental gloves, face masks and sterilising units for instruments be in place. This is a Right of the patient, it also protects against quackery. Hence mirrors, probes and instruments should be sterile and aseptic.
Diagnostic aids like dental x-ray machines most often are a requirement for best practices – whilst this may not necessarily be compulsory. It is essential.
Questions about specific treatment will be gladly answered by your dentists. The dentists is able to explain alternative treatments should such subsists.
Records of treatment are kept confidential. These are not shared with third party except in mediolegal situations or with the consent of the parents/custodians in the case of a minor.
Ethics makes it essential that dentist provide maximum satisfaction and comparable standard of oral health care for their patient treatment needs with the least discomfort to the patient from the period of entry into the surgery till subsequent departure from clinic including post consultation period.
The dental team are trained to be courteous the environment should be friendly both in its dicor and color scheme. Cleanliness is paramount, Education leaflets often available whilst in the reception area.
See you next week…