Social Impact of Dental Caries on Adult Patients in Bungoma County, Kenya
Abstract
Dental caries manifests itself through the existence of a hole in the hard tissue of teeth, and it has a brown or black colour. Untreated dental caries causes a lot of challenges such as toothache and eventually tooth loss resulting in swelling, inability to eat or swallow, inability to open jaw or talk, difficulty in breathing and low self-esteem as a result of the bad breath from cavity. The outcome of the social effect of dental caries is the inability to pronounce or talk, inability to chew, sleep disruption due to pain and difficulty in breathing especially for those who use the mouth to breathe. In Bungoma County, little is known about the social impact of dental caries among patients. Therefore, there was a need to investigate the social impact on adult patients in Bungoma County, Kenya. This study was conducted in Bungoma County. The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional study design. Adults with dental challenges and the dental staff formed the study population. The sample size was 347 dental patients. The sampling strategy was proportionate probability sampling and simple random sampling. Data was collected using a pretested WHO-modified assessment questionnaire of 2013, WHO-modified observation checklist and key informant interviews. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics with the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences tool (SPSS) v 25.0. Data was presented using tables, figures, narratives and verbatim. Association and…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a cross-sectional, done in people. Its evidence level is 4 of 5 (Low · observational). Observational designs can show an association but not prove cause. Reported size: 347 participants or records.
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