Cigarette Smoking and Perception of Oral Health among Nigerian Prisoners

OBJECTIVES:

To examine the relationship between smoking and overall perception of oral health among Nigerian prisoners.

METHODS:

A cross-sectional survey of 100 male prisoners at Kirikiri maximum prison, Lagos, Nigeria. An interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect information on socio-demographic characteristics, perceived oral health, smoking status and use of dental services.

RESULTS:

Prevalence of smoking was 38%. Overall, 57% of the prisoners reported an unfavorable perception of their oral health as bad, poor, or very poor. Also 63.2% of smokers had an unfavorable oral health perception compared to 53.2% of non smokers. A significantly higher proportion (73.3%) of inmates who had oral pain/ problems had unfavorable oral health perception compared to 32.5% of those who had no oral pain/problems (p = <0.0001).

Poor perception of oral health was significantly associated with a greater perception of need for dental treatment (p = 0.007).

CONCLUSION: Perception of poor oral health is a potential indicator for dental care utilization. There is need for oral health education and tobacco use counseling among prison inmates.