Child and Maternal Oral Healthcare: an Assessment of the Knowledge of Nigerian and Ghanaian Nurses.

OBJECTIVE To ascertain and compare knowledge of child and maternal oral healthcare amongst a group of Nurses and Midwives in Ghana and Nigeria. DESIGN A cross-sectional survey. SETTING Health institutions in Cape Coast, Ghana and Port Harcourt, Nigeria. SUBJECTS One hundred and sixty Nurses and Midwives (80 Ghanaians and 80 Nigerians). RESULTS They had an age range of 21-65 years and a mean age of 37.8 (SD ± 9.6) years. Majority of the Nurses in both countries indicated that women should brush their teeth with a toothbrush and toothpaste (92.1%), whilst the children should use salt and cotton wool twice daily. Although more of the Ghanaian Nurses (98.8%) considered routine dental visits to be important than the Nigerian population (80%), only 3.8% of the Ghanaian Nurses against 33.8% of the Nigerians indicated there was a connection between oral disease and delivery status. Opinions differed significantly as to the reason for the first dental visit with 65.4% of the Nigerian Nurses indicating this should be when the child has toothache whereas 51.9% of Ghanaian Nurses believed it is when the first tooth erupts. However, four to six years was the common choice for when self brushing should start in both countries. CONCLUSION The knowledge of this group of Nurses and Midwives on maternal and child oral healthcare was insufficient. The Ghanaian Nurses had a better knowledge of preventive dental care than their Nigerian counterparts.