Oral Health of Children in a Nigerian Tertiary Care Institution

OBJECTIVE: The study investigated the common dental conditions of children seen in a Nigerian tertiary hospital. The referral patterns were also determined to know how many of the patients had sought care at the lower levels of health before visiting a tertiary hospital. METHODS: All the children aged 0 to 15 years seen at the Dental hospital, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria over a four year period were included in the study. In this retrospective study, information in respect of gender, month and year of attendance, patterns of referral, presenting complaints, diagnosis, and treatment were extracted from the case records of the patients. RESULTS: A total of 1866 children sought treatment over the 4-year period. It was found that the tertiary care institution took care of simple dental problems instead of being reserved for sophisticated procedures and the treatment of complex problems. Over the period, 1715 (91.9%) of the patients sought treatment directly at the teaching hospital without any referral from lower levels of care. Only 102 (5.4%) were referred from Primary Health Care (PHC) centres. The majority of the patients 675 (36.2%) presented with pain while, 502 (26.9%) attended for a "check-up". Periodontal disease (including gingivitis) was the most common diagnosis recorded for the patients, 779 (41.8%), followed by dental caries 539 (28.9%). Scaling and polishing with oral hygiene instruction was the most common treatment recommended, for 876 patients (46.9%). CONCLUSIONS: It is suggested that the range of care, personnel required, and referral strategies should be clearly defined and effectively coordinated for each level of the health care system.