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Introduction: Tobacco consumption is risk factor of many infectious and endemic diseases. The objective of our study was to compare the oral health of smokers and non-smokers in the city of Yaoundé, Cameroon. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study using a stratified random sampling that took place between April to September 2014 in which both smokers and non-smokers participated. Results: Two hundred smokers and 200 non-smokers comprising 341 men and 59 women participated in the study with the 25-35 years age group was most represented. A third of the smokers were unemployed 72 (36.0%), 45(22.5%) had low income employment, 94(51.4%) were initiated into smoking when they were less than 10 years old; 90(45.5%) took between 1 and 15 sticks of cigarettes a day. Supra-gingival calculus, halitosis, xerostomia, periodontal diseases, tooth mobility, painless carious cavitation’s and tooth loss were more frequent in smokers. Toothache from carious cavitations, tooth loss was more frequent in smokers while toothache from deep caries was found more in non-smokers. Conclusion: The frequency of oral diseases was higher in tobacco smokers than non-smokers. People from low socioeconomic status, males and the unemployed were mostly affected. Recommendations: The government and stake holders in public health should formulate policies that will reduce cigarette smoking and also involve oral health workers in their campaigns.

Dental caries, though common, presents with considerable variation in occurrence between countries, regions within countries, areas within regions, and among social and ethnic groups. The aim of this study was to describe the oral health status and practices of primary school children in the western region of Cameroon. This was a comparative descriptive cross sectional study took place in April to October 2018 in primary schools located in three localities (Urban, semi urban and rural) of the West region of Cameroon using a multistage random (cluster) sampling technique. There were a predominance of female pupils 265(54.9 %) than males 218 (45.1 %) and 411 (85.1 %) of the pupils had toothbrushes with the majority from urban areas 142 (94.7%). The frequency of brushing was higher in urban than the semi-urban and rural areas and 212 (50.5) of them brushed teeth once a day and nearly half 184 (43.8) twice daily. More than half 238 (56.7) of the children brush before breakfast wake up less than half brush 176 (42%) brush after supper. Two third 280(66.8%) of the children brush their teeth with toothbrush and without toothpaste 54(39.4%) was higher in rural areas. Wood ash 7 (5.1%), soap 4(2.9%) and chewing sticks 3(2, 2%) were most frequently used for brushing in rural areas. The majority 395 (82 %) of the children had plaque, 73(15.1 %) presented with dental mal positions, 341 (70.6 %) with bleeding gums and 223 (46.2 %) had calculus which was predominant in lower incisors. The prevalence of dental caries in the entire population was 28.1%.The majority of pupils 346 (71.6 %) were caries free and 01 (0.2 %) had a missing tooth due to decay. None of the children presented with filled teeth. The mean DMFT was higher in the rural (0.39) as compared to the semi urban (0.18) and the urban (0.09) respectively. The mean DMFT index of the entire population was 0.28 while 135(27.9%) of the pupils presented with enamel caries which was predominant in the first permanent molar, 19 (47.2%) presented with deep caries mostly in the second deciduous molars and 8 (22.5%) presented with enamel caries on the second deciduous molars. Dental trauma 12 (2.5%) was mostly found in the upper central incisors. More than a third 61(36.1%) of the pupils who presented with gingivitis were from rural areas,43(25,4%) from semi urban, and 40(26.7%) from urban areas. Almost all the children who lived in semi-urban 157(92.9%) and in urban areas 150 (78.7%) consumed cariogenic diets. A third of the children who ate in-between meals lived in urban areas149 (34.2%) while 123 (72.8%) of the children in semi-urban areas were conscious of their oral hygiene, and 61 (37.2%) of the children’s food are controlled by the parents. Only 37 (7.7 %) of the children have done have ever been to a dentist. The prevalence of dental caries, periodontal diseases and other orofacial lesions in the western region of Cameroon was low. Dental caries was found to be higher in rural and urban areas. Collaboration between the ministries of health and basic education is necessary as a measure to institute oral health education in primary schools. This will go a long way to reduce inequalities in oral health by improving in the oral practices.

Background: Plants form the basis of African traditional medicine which has contributed to significantly to the reduction of mortality, morbidity and disability due to many diseases. Medicinal plants have been reported to be an essential aspect oral health delivery cutting across all facets of oral health care. Method: Publications and reports on the use of African traditional medicine in oral health care were reviewed from published scientific journals, books, reports from national, regional and international organizations, research theses, conference papers and other grey material. International online databases such as MEDLINE, Science Direct, Scopus and Google were also searched up to 2015. Publications were limited to the English and French language Results: This review identified medicinal plant use by traditional healers in preventive, therapeutic and surgical aspects in the oral health and also identified some research gaps which further studies should be carried out. Conclusion: Medicinal plants has enormous benefits in the management of oral diseases but faces some challenges like toxicity, processing and follow-ups. Research on medicinal plants use in African traditional medicine in oral health is still scanty and most often incomplete.

Manpower training and development is essential to the improvement of health including oral health. The purpose of this study was to conduct a situation analysis, document trends, and make future projections for the oral health workforce in Cameroon. Data were collected from publications of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, National Order of Dental Surgeons of Cameroon, the Cameroon Dental Association and the Association of Cameroon Nurses, Midwives, and Health Technicians. Test for significance was done with Chisquare and Fisher's exact statistics and statistical significance was set at P

Background: Traditional healers in Cameroon are actively involved in oral healthcare and traditional herbs are used for management of oral diseases. However the analysis of phytoconstituents of medicinal plants used for oral healthcare in Cameroon has not been done. The objective of the study was to determine the phytoconstituents of medicinal plants used for oral healthcare in Cameroon. Methods: Samples of fresh plants used for dental treatment collected from South west and litorral regions of Cameroon that were free from diseases were obtained from the traditional healers.The plants were dried and the dried powder was macerated with intermediate stirring for 48 hours in methanol before filtering with Whattman filter paper. The filtrate was evaporated to dryness of solvent using the rotative evaporator in order to obtain the concentrated extracts of each plant sample. The plant extracts were then qualitatively tested for the presence of phytochemicals such as alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, terpenoids, steroids and tannins using the standard procedures. Results: All the six (6) plants were found to be rich in at least one of the secondary metabolites. Steroids, terpenoids and flavonoids were found in all the plants samples. Alkaloids were present in Ageratum conyzoides and Carica papaya. Tannins were present in Ageratum conyzoides, Emilia coccinea, Gossypium sp and Carica papaya. Saponins were present in Ageratum conyzoides, Carica papaya and Momordica charantia. Phlobatannins was present in Emilia coccinea, Gossypium sp, Carica papaya and Spilanthes africana. Cardiac glycosides were present in Emilia coccinea, Carica papaya, and Momordica charantia. Carica papaya contained all these phytochemicals. Conclusion: This study revealed the presence of active secondary metabolites in herbs used for different dental treatment. The clinical trial of phytochemicals on the oral conditions is necessary to determine their pharmacological activity.

Background: Poverty, inadequacy of health services, shortage of health workers, infectious diseases scourges, rampant shortage of drugs and equipment in existing health facilities make traditional medicine an important component of healthcare in Africa, especially in oral health care. This review was done to document the role of African traditional medicine in oral health care delivery in order to provide a comprehensive documentation, identify research gaps, and suggest perspectives for future research.Materials and Methods: Available references or reports in English and French on the use of African traditional medicine in oral health care were consulted from published scientific journals, books, reports from national, regional and international organizations, theses, conference papers and other grey materials. Literature was searched on international online databases such as Pubmed, MEDLINE, Science Direct, Scopus and Google using the MeSH words “Traditional medicine or healer”, “oral health”, “dental caries”, “dental”, “primary oral health care’ and “medicinal plants”.Results: Contemporary African communities operate a pluralistic health system whereby highly sophisticated biomedical health care co-exists and even competes with traditional medical practices. Though most patients opt for dual consultations, the introduction of biomedicine has never replaced traditional indigenous medicine and traditional healers are consulted for several reasons making dual treatment a common occurrence in many communities. Factors such as the lack of health care workers, inequalities in the health sector due to socio-cultural and socio-economic disparities prevent people from patronising both health care systems. Therapeutic methods used by African traditional healers include herbalism, psychotherapy, simple surgical procedures, rituals and symbolism. The types of medications used by traditional healers were classified as preventive and prophylactic medications. Some practices of traditional healers included tooth extractions with medicinal plants and also in other practices resulting in exposure to blood; practices involving the use of shared instruments had been reported to be responsible for the transmission of HIV/AIDS. Other harmful practices include gemectomy, uvulectomy and different forms of infant oral mutilations.Conclusion: Traditional healers provide dental care, but their work was not integrated with that of a dentist. Traditional healers have special qualities that make them highly effective in primary oral health care therefore making them inevitable stakeholders in primary oral health care delivery. The research gaps in this review include the integration of traditional medicine into the oral health care systems of many African countries and the evaluation of the treatment outcomes of traditional medicine in dental care.Key words: Review, African traditional medicine, oral health.

Introduction: Strict adherence to the radiation exposure guidelines is mandatory when using X-rays for disease detection in order to minimize its harmful effects. The objective of this study was to determine the radiation protection awareness and practices in Cameroon Dental Health care facilities. Materials and Methods: This multiregional questionnaire-based study was conducted among dental clinics located in the capitals of the Littoral, Central, South West, and North West regions of Cameroon. Results: The majority 63 (90.0%) of the participants reported awareness of the adverse effects of radiation on patients and dental professionals. Only 22.9% reported awareness of the agency in-charge of X-ray protection and standardization in Cameroon. The majority of the X-ray machine were located inside the operating room of the dental clinic. The most vulnerable group to the effects of radiation reported was pregnant women while the most vulnerable part of the body to the effects of radiation reported was reproductive organs. The lead shield was the dominantly utilized radioprotective device among the participants. Six meters away from the direction of radiation was the most frequently adopted radioprotection positioning among the participants. Conclusion: Data from this study revealed that many aspects of radiation protection in dental radiology is suboptimal; hence, specific training in education and training in radiation protection is deemed necessary among dental health care professionals in Cameroon. It is recommended that Cameroon National Radiation Protection Agency should establish radiation protection guidelines in dental health care delivery.

Objective: To assess the pattern of dentofacial injuries in commercial motorcycle accidents among riders and passengers in Cameroon. Materials and Methods: This was a hospital based study conducted in 6 out of 10 regional capitals in the months of December 2011 to September 2012. Analyzed information included age, gender, residence, role on the motorcycle (rider or passenger), type, pattern and month of injury, cost, duration and patient’s perception about the cost of treatment. Results: A total of 387 patients were studied with majority of the patients being 21-30 years (39.8%), males (63.8%), passengers (57.3%) and urban dwellers (85.8%). Most of the injuries occurred in December (20.7%), January (19.4%) and February (20.2%). Soft tissue injuries were most frequent (91.2%) followed by trauma to the teeth (83.5%), of which 62.3% were tooth loss. Mandibular fracture was commoner than maxillary fracture; (45% versus 25.3%). A total of 44.2% of patients received their treatment as in-patients. The treatment of the dentofacial injuries among 64.3% of the patients lasted for more than a month. A total of 51.9% of the patients spent 100,000 francs ($200) or more for their treatment. More than half (51.4%) of the patients perceived the cost of treatment as expensive. Conclusion: Dentofacial injuries in commercial motorcycle accidents necessitated hospital admission and lengthy treatment time with high attendant cost. Preventing these injuries will serves as a form of poverty reduction as money that will be used by the victim to better their life is not used to correct deformities or treat injuries. Keywords: Dentofacial injuries, commercial motorcycle accidents, Cameroon African Health sciences Vol 14 No. 1 March 2014

Background Optimal oral hygiene practices are instrumental to achieving good dental and gingival health. The purpose of this study was to determine the gingival health and oral hygiene practices of schoolchildren in the North West region of Cameroon. Methods This cross-sectional survey among 12–13 years old rural and urban schoolchildren in the North West region of Cameroon was conducted between March and November, 2010. Results A total of 2295 schoolchildren were interviewed but only 2287 of them had oral examination giving a 99.7 % participation rate. Out of 2287 school children examined, 1676 (73.3 %) had normal gingiva while 26.7 % had gingivitis of varying severity. The gingivitis was found significantly more in rural dwellers (P = 0.001). In terms of the severity of the recorded gingivitis, mild gingivitis constituted 549 (89.9 %), moderate gingivitis 49 (8.0 %) and severe gingivitis 13 (2.1 %). The majority-1929 (85.4 %) of the participants had received instruction on how to care for their teeth and the predominant source of this instruction was from their parents. Irregular teeth cleaning were marked 1137 (49.7 %) among the children. The dominant teeth cleaning materials were toothbrush and toothpaste. The other oral hygiene aid utilized by the participants include dental floss-25 (1.1 %), stick-759 (33.6 %), dental floss-25 (1.1 %) and other unorthodox agents. The reasons for teeth cleaning among the participants in descending order were to make the teeth clean, to prevent halitosis, to make teeth stronger, to prevent pain and dental diseases. Conclusion The prevalence of gingivitis among Cameroonian schoolchildren in the Northwest region was 26.7 % with majority being of mild gingivitis category. Parents, dental professionals and teachers were the main sources of instruction on oral care.