RESUMEN
Background Hepatitis B virus infection is a general cause of chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and hepato-cellular carcinoma worldwide. It is highly contagious. It is an important reason for morbidity and mortality in the Indian population. Oral health professionals are at the highest risk. Vaccination for hepatitis B can prevent this deadly disease. Methods The present study was designed to evaluate the degree of awareness, knowledge of hepatitis B infection and status of hepatitis B vaccination among dental students. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 240 students of 3rd year, 4th year and interns of a professional dental course. A pre-tested questionnaire was given to the students of each year. All the data management and analysis were carried out using SPSS software version 16. Results Eighty-six percent of the students had knowledge about hepatitis B infection. The majority of the students had correct knowledge regarding mode of transmission, however, 21% failed to recognize saliva as the mode of hepatitis B transmission. Forty-five percent of the students were vaccinated for hepatitis B. Conclusion The present study concludes that there is reasonable awareness of hepatitis B infection hazards, its transmission and vaccination, among the dental students who will be entering into the profession. However, half of the students were not vaccinated for hepatitis B in our study group, which keeps them at risk to the disease. The Indian Health Ministry should make hepatitis B vaccination mandatory for all health care professionals. A strategy should be executed for health education and compulsory vaccination of all students joining the health care professional colleges. Antibody titers should be routinely checked among those who are vaccinated.
Asunto(s)
Conocimientos, Actitudes y Práctica en Salud , Vacunas contra Hepatitis B/administración & dosificación , Hepatitis B/prevención & control , Estudiantes de Odontología/estadística & datos numéricos , Vacunación/estadística & datos numéricos , Adulto , Estudios Transversales , Femenino , Hepatitis B/epidemiología , Virus de la Hepatitis B , Humanos , India , Masculino , Encuestas y Cuestionarios , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
A 14-year-old boy presented to our hospital with a chief complaint of difficulty in opening his mouth and a burning sensation on eating spicy food. The oral mucosa showed generalized diffused blanching and he was unable to protrude his tongue. For 6 years he had habitually chewed gutkha - a mixture of betel nut and tobacco for several minutes a day. This oral submucous fibrosis condition is very rare in young patients. The case highlights the link between oral submucous fibrosis and the regular use of areca nut (gutkha) products in a young boy.
Asunto(s)
Areca/efectos adversos , Mucosa Bucal/patología , Fibrosis de la Submucosa Bucal/diagnóstico , Adolescente , Humanos , India , Masculino , Fibrosis de la Submucosa Bucal/etiología , Instituciones AcadémicasRESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: To assess areca nut chewing habit among middle school-aged children in Indore, India. Areca nut is chewed by itself, and in various scented preparations. It is associated with carcinogenesis, foreign body aspiration in children, and oral submucous fibrosis and may aggravate asthma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective collection of data to evaluate the prevalence of areca nut chewing among 3896 children was done. A simple random sampling was done. Children of both sexes were included in this study. RESULTS: 27.06% of the school-going children (1054/3896) had areca nut chewing habit. More boys chewed areca nut than girls (2:1). 45.42% of school going children of rural area pander to areca nut chewing habit, whereas in urban area 20.09% children are indulged. Government school children are more involved in areca nut chewing habit. 81.02% of the children used sweetened and flavoured form of areca nut. The majority of the users were not aware of harmful effects that the use of areca nut might be harmful for health CONCLUSION: To diminish the use of areca nut, the Indian Government should consider limiting trade, advertising, and actively communicating its health risks to the public and should deem heavy taxes on it.