Ghotane Swapnil G, Al-Baiyaa Ahmed, Challacombe Stephen J, Don-Davis Patric, Kamara David, Gallagher Jennifer E
Department of Women & Children's Health, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
Centre for Host Microbiome Interactions, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
J Public Health Afr. 2025 Aug 28;16(1):1385. doi: 10.4102/jphia.v16i1.1385. eCollection 2025.
Oral health often receives low priority in fragile countries like Sierra Leone (SL), which have constrained health systems and resources.
To explore both normative and perceived oral health needs of adults in SL to guide strategies for the development of future oral health programmes and services.
This study was conducted across all four regions of SL.
This study utilised a self-completion questionnaire exploring access to dental care, oral hygiene practices, diet, risk behaviours, general and dental health and oral health-related quality of life. Clinical examinations used the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS) and the PUFA (pulp, ulcer, fistula, abscess) Index, among other tools. Descriptive statistics summarised key variables, while bivariate analyses explored associations using STATA and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).
One hundred and sixty one participants aged between 19 years and 70 years (mean = 35.6 years) completed the questionnaire survey. Two-thirds (75%, = 121) reported having 'never been to a dentist', 40% ( = 62) experiencing toothache and 68% ( = 82) consuming one or more sugary items at least once a day, particularly males. Urban participants reported good dental health (63%), while 17% - 29% of rural participants reported significant impacts on daily life due to oral health issues. Of the 45 participants who underwent a clinical examination, 84% ( = 38) had cavitated dental caries into dentine with over five heavily diseased teeth on average (DMFT = 5.2).
This survey suggests a high level of perceived need and untreated dental disease among participating adults, limited dental care access, notable sugar consumption and significant impacts on quality of life.
This study highlights the necessity for a national-level adult dental health survey to better inform the planning of oral health services in support of adults in SL.
在像塞拉利昂（SL）这样卫生系统和资源有限的脆弱国家，口腔健康往往未得到应有的重视。
探究塞拉利昂成年人的规范口腔健康需求和感知到的口腔健康需求，以指导未来口腔健康项目和服务的发展策略。
本研究在塞拉利昂的所有四个地区开展。
本研究采用自填式问卷，内容涉及获得牙科护理的情况、口腔卫生习惯、饮食、风险行为、总体健康和牙齿健康以及与口腔健康相关的生活质量。临床检查使用了国际龋病检测和评估系统（ICDAS）以及PUFA（牙髓、溃疡、瘘管、脓肿）指数等工具。描述性统计总结关键变量，双变量分析使用STATA和社会科学统计软件包（SPSS）探索关联。
161名年龄在19岁至70岁之间（平均 = 35.6岁）的参与者完成了问卷调查。三分之二（75%，n = 121）的人报告“从未看过牙医”，40%（n = 62）的人经历过牙痛，68%（n = 82）的人每天至少食用一种或多种含糖食品，男性尤为如此。城市参与者报告牙齿健康状况良好（63%），而17% - 29%的农村参与者报告口腔健康问题对日常生活有重大影响。在接受临床检查的45名参与者中，84%（n = 38）有龋洞已侵入牙本质的龋齿，平均有超过五颗严重患病的牙齿（DMFT = 5.2）。
本次调查表明，参与调查的成年人中存在较高的感知需求和未治疗的牙齿疾病，获得牙科护理的机会有限，糖分摄入量显著，且对生活质量有重大影响。
本研究强调了开展国家级成人牙齿健康调查的必要性，以便更好地为支持塞拉利昂成年人的口腔健康服务规划提供信息。
