Abstract
Background: The possibility of some systemic diseases having oral manifestation is well established
with the recent discovery that some oral diseases also adversely affect the general
health of an individual. The question is, is the relationship casual or causal? Aim: To assess the perception of medical doctors concerning the possible link of oral
diseases as causal/confounding factors of systemic diseases. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 250 medical doctors was carried out in three tertiary
health institutions in Nigeria. Questionnaires were distributed to resident doctors
to assess their perception as to the possibility of any causal relationship between
the general systemic diseases and oral diseases. Results: Two-hundred and seven completely filled questionnaires were returned out of the 250
distributed. Over 50% of the respondents strongly agreed to the fact that there is
a link between oral diseases and conditions such as diabetes mellitus, rheumatic heart
disease, valvular heart disease, and human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune
deficiency syndrome HIV/AIDS. Hypertension and premature low birth weight has the
highest percentage (18.8%) of respondents strongly disagreeing with the possibility
of having any link with the state of the oral health. There was a statistically significant
difference in the perception of the possible link between the state of oral health
and myocardial infarction between male and female respondents (P < 0.04) and also when the age-groups were considered in relationship with valvular
heart disease (P < 0.02). Conclusion: This study revealed that doctors′ perception of the influence of dental disease/condition
on the general state of patients′ health was deficient and, therefore, require improvement
through health education and awareness.
Keywords
Medical condition - medical doctors - oral health - perception
