Oral hygiene practices of doctors in a tertiary hospital in North-West Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction: Oral hygiene is an important aspect of personal hygiene. Doctors are expected to be in the forefront in promoting the general well-being of the populace. However, oral and dental health are areas that are often neglected by nondental doctors during patient consultation; therefore, for a doctor to give an effective advice, his/her knowledge and practice of good oral hygiene should be optimal according to the laid down guidelines. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Medical doctors in the hospital were consecutively recruited, and a pretested self-administered questionnaire was employed. The questionnaire contained information on their oral hygiene and their care for patient oral hygiene. Results: There were 36 (66.7%) males and 18 (33.3%) females, with a male-to-female ratio of 2:1. Toothpaste and toothbrush were the most common materials used for oral cleansing; majority of the respondents change their toothbrush within 2–3 months. Most respondents brushed their mouth/teeth twice (66.7%) in a day; however, other oral cleansing materials were documented in 66.7% of the respondents; their use were mostly after meals and majority (44.4%) used wooden toothpicks. Use of dental floss was reported in only 41.7% of the respondents; lack of information on the need for dental flossing was the main reason among respondents who did not floss. Conclusion: Toothpaste and toothbrush are the most common oral cleansing materials; the respondents in this study frequently changed their toothbrush and most respondents cleaned their mouth twice in a day and use of dental floss was less reported among the respondents.