Introduction: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the major causes of head and neck cancer (HNC). The incidence rate of newly diagnosed HPV-induced HNC cancer is on the rise, year-by-year; this is a problem of public health concern. This study aims to determine the prevalence and predictors of...

Oral diseases mainly caused by poor oral hygiene are a major public health problem affecting over half of the world's population. Oral hygiene education targeted at children and teenagers in schools is an important approach in addressing this problem. Folk songs in the language and cultural context children and teenagers are familiar with appears to be a promising tool and alternative to traditional oral hygiene education. This paper aims to report how a local traditional song on oral hygiene education amongst children and teenagers in southwestern Nigeria was developed with a view to providing information on how the song can be developed in other languages as well as how other oral health education songs can be developed. Oral health professionals from the University College Hospital, Ibadan, and music experts from the University of Ibadan, in collaboration with traditional/local musicians, parents/guardians, schoolteachers, and community heads, took part in the development of the song over a period of 6 months. Developing the tool involved certain processes which were validated and evaluated. These processes included developing the lyrics, choosing the type of song, creating the melody, and producing and finishing the song as an oral hygiene education tool. Written and audio documentations of the processes were done. A 90-second oral hygiene education song was developed in English and later translated into Yoruba. The numerous steps, collaborations, and meetings required in the development of the song were associated with many learning opportunities including team-building, understanding cultural contexts, effective collaboration, leadership, and communication skills. Creating new and effective oral hygiene education tool requires various processes and multiple steps and resources. However, it is a necessary and worthy exercise in ensuring sustainable and adequate oral hygiene, especially amongst children and teenagers in underserved populations, as we move into the future.

Early career doctors (ECDs) are faced with many unique challenges; this is even more pronounced in low resources setting like country Nigeria. To unravel and improve understanding of these challenges the National Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria (NARD) initiated a trainee driven research initiative. NARD initiated the Research and Statistics Committee (RSC), a six member team derived from her membership. In an attempt to carry out her responsibility efficiently the committee created the Research Collaboration network (RCN), a 43 member team comprising ECDs from across Nigeria. The key themes to be explored under this initiative include demographic, work and psychosocial issues as it affect ECDs in Nigeria. This article is set out to describe in detail the NARD initiative in term of the structure, operational modalities and agenda for the year 2018/19.

Niger J Med, Official publication of Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors ( NARD)

The individual knowledge of the effects of tobacco usage on health plays an important role in its uptake. Tobacco consumption usually starts during adolescence, and lack of knowledge about the oral problems of tobacco usage probably plays a role in it. To determine the knowledge of adolescents about the effect of tobacco usage on oral health. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,465 adolescents aged 12 to 20 years who attended senior secondary schools in a major city in Nigeria. Data were obtained through a semistructured questionnaire. Data obtained were analyzed with SPSS. The mean age of respondents was 15.2 (±1.4) years. Only 40 (2.7%) of them used tobacco at the time of study and 992 (67.7%) said that tobacco usage has effect(s) on oral health. The main effects mentioned were mouth odor: 338 (34.1%); teeth discoloration: 297 (29.9%); tooth decay: 138 (13.9%); damage to teeth: 72 (7.3%); lip discoloration: 39 (3.9%); and oral cancer: 11 (1.1%). It was found that female respondents (72.1%, odds ratio = 1.4, confidence interval = 1.1–1.7, p = .005); those aged 12 to 15 years (73.6%, odds ratio = 2.0, confidence interval = 1.6–2.5, p < .001); and children of skilled workers (73.4%, odds ratio = 1.9, confidence interval = 1.2–3.0, p = .008) were more likely to mention that tobacco has adverse effect(s) on oral health. Although two thirds of the students knew that tobacco usage has effects on oral health, there were gross inadequacies in the knowledge and misconceptions about those effects.