Oral care offerings in populations of Ferlo (Senegal): The contribution of traditional dentistry

Massamba Diouf, Gilles Boetsch, Anta Tal-Dia, Jean Jacques Bonfil

CNRS—UMI 3189 “Environnement, Santé, Sociétés”, Faculté de Médecine Secteur Nord, Marseille, France.
Service d’Epidémiologie, Faculté d’Odontologie, Marseille, France.
Service de Santé Publique et Médecine Préventive, Faculté de Médecine, Université Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Sénégal.

DOI: 10.4236/ojepi.2013.32014                

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine whether the offering of traditional treatments can constitute a positive contribution to integrate in an oral public health care settings. Method: This was a cross-sectional study involving 300 people living in the area of Ferlo in East Central Senegal. Selected individuals must be residents of the area over the age of 15 years. Cluster sampling was used as a recruitment method. Data collected concerned the type of oral health care used whether modern or traditional, the periodontal condition (plaque, gingival and bleeding index, attachment loss, pocket depth and CPITN). Dental status was evaluated by DMFT. The data were analyzed with R software and the Student’s t test was used to compare the averages of indices in both groups at the threshold of 5%. A co-variance analysis was allowed in order to determine associations between some indices and therapy type in multivariate approach. Results: Averages of dental and periodontal indices were globally higher in people using modern therapies. DMFT, CPITN and gingival index increased significantly when the type of therapy was modern after adjustment on the plaque index and age. Conclusion: The traditional dentistry could constitute a positive contribution to a public health care, especially in a context of developing country. However, this practice should be guided and validated by a research-based evidence to allow better use of the therapeutic processes, and promote the health of populations.

Keywords

Oral Care Supply; Senegal; Traditional Dentistry

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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