@article{100431,
  keywords = {Prevention, Knowledge, Practice,  Attitude, Noma},
  author = {Bala M and Kaura MA and Tsafe AB and Jaafar R and Fawa SA and Abdulkadir A},
  title = {Dental auxiliaries’ knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding noma prevention: A cross-sectional study in Northwestern Nigeria},
  abstract = {<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The objective is to evaluate dental auxiliaries’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices for the prevention of noma disease.</p>

<p><strong>Materials and Methods:</strong> This was a cross-sectional study conducted over 6 months. After obtaining ethical clearance from the Sokoto and Zamfara State Ministries of Health, all consenting dental assistant staff who met the selection criteria were administered a validated questionnaire containing 17 questions assessing the respondents’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices. They were recruited using a self-administered questionnaire. The overall score was classified as “low” if the average score was 50% or less (50% or less), satisfactory (51%–69%), or good (70% or more). Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 20 software.</p>

<p><strong>Results:</strong> A total of 149 respondents returned the questionnaire, of which 80 (53.7%) were men and 69 (46.3%) were women. The mean ± standard deviation age of respondents was 27.37 ± 7.00 years, with a range of 20–58 years. The age of respondents was divided into four groups, and the majority of 112 respondents (75.2%) were in their 30s. The majority of respondents, 141 (94.6%), know about the prevention of noma disease. The total respondent score was 1827 points (72.1%), which was evaluated as “good.”</p>

<p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of dental auxiliaries in the field of noma prevention are good. Dental auxiliaries, if supervised and appropriately trained, can play a role in noma prevention by actively participating in and disseminating information on specific preventive measures such as scaling and polishing.</p>
},
  year = {2024},
  journal = {Journal of Oral Research and Review},
  volume = {16},
  pages = {91-96},
  publisher = {Medknow},
  issn = {2249-4987, 2394-2541},
  url = {https://pdfs.journals.lww.com/jorr/2024/16020/dental_auxiliaries__knowledge,_attitude,_and.2.pdf?token=method|ExpireAbsolute;source|Journals;ttl|1720715017415;payload|mY8D3u1TCCsNvP5E421JYK6N6XICDamxByyYpaNzk7FKjTaa1Yz22MivkHZqjGP4kdS2v0J76WGAnHACH69s21Cs},
  doi = {10.4103/jorr.jorr_42_23},
  language = {ENG},
}