Arlaine Bachigale¹, Florentin Asima Katumbi¹, Aladin Ombeni Mahano¹, Ismaël Mitima Grimau¹, Alliance Nshobole Mushi¹, Reine Bahaya² and Hermès Karemere^1,3*

¹Public Health Department, Health Sciences Department, Official University of Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo
²Faculty of Medicine, Evangelical University in Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo
³Regional School of Public Health, Catholic University of Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo

*Corresponding Author: Hermès Karemere, Public Health Department, Health Sciences Department, Official University of Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo. hkaremere@gmail.com

Received: March 17, 2025; Published: May 07, 2025

Abstract

Introduction: Oral diseases have been described as a major public health problem, due to their high prevalence and incidence. They more often affect disadvantaged and socially marginalised populations. The aim of this study is to help improve oral hygiene by assessing the knowledge, attitudes and practices of adults living in the Kadutu Health Zone in Bukavu.

Methodology: This is a cross-sectional, analytical study covering the period from May to September 2024. It uses descriptive and analytical statistics to identify the link between knowledge and attitudes to oral hygiene among adults in the Kadutu health zone. It was conducted on 384 adults living in the Kadutu Health Zone.

Results: The study showed that respondents with a low level of education were 2.28 times more likely not to maintain good oral hygiene. More than ¾ of respondents recognised that poor hygiene could lead to tooth loss, and there was no significant difference. More than 1 in 2 respondents with limited access to dental services brush once a day. There is a high risk of poor hygiene, although there is no significant difference. Although more than 8 out of 10 respondents identified the role of hygiene kit distribution campaigns and the training of health workers in oral hygiene, this does not translate into the maintenance of good hygiene. There was no significant difference, suggesting that simply distributing materials without education is not enough.

Conclusion: Simple interventions such as raising awareness of the importance of oral hygiene, organising free consultations and offering hygiene kits could improve the behaviour of adults in the Kadutu Health Zone, but require a more integrated approach.

 Keywords: Evaluation; Knowledge; Attitudes and Practices; Adults; Oral Hygiene; Kadutu Health Zone; Republic Democratic of Congo

References

1. Pognon SAB., et al. “Facteurs de risque communs aux maladies bucco-dentaires et aux maladies non transmissibles à Cotonou (Bénin)”. Médecine Buccale Chirurgie Buccale3 (2013): 155-159.
2. DIOUF M., et al. “Evaluation des besoins de traitements parodontaux chez les détenus de la région de Dakar (Sénégal)”. Médecine Tropicale6 (2009): 587-590.
3. Wen P., et al. “Global burden and inequality of dental caries, 1990 to 2019”. Journal of Dental Research4 (2022): 392-399.
4. “Atlas of African health statistics 2022: health situation analysis of the WHO African Region” (2022).
5. “40, 2% de personnes en RDC souffrent d’une des maladies bucco-dentaires”. Agence Congolaise De Presse (2023).
6. BF S. “Motifs de consultation en Odontologie pédiatrique à Kinshasa en République démocratique du Congo”. Annales Africaines de Médecine4 (2010): 574.
7. “Régime alimentaire, nutrition et prévention des maladies chroniques”. Rapport d'une consultation OMS/FAO d'experts. Rapports techniques 916 (2003).
8. Herbst M. “The State of the World's Children 2024: The Future of Childhood in a Changing World”. UNICEF (2024).
9. Batumike I., et al. “Analysis of hospital care provision in the urban health zones of Bukavu, DR Congo”. International Journal of Innovation and Applied Studies1 (2024): 70-81.
10. ZS-Kadutu, Rapport annuel. (2024).
11. OCHA-Reliefweb, Carte de la Zone de santé de Kadutu. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (2014).
12. Lohr SL. “Sampling: design and analysis”. 2021: Chapman and Hall/CRC.
13. PNSBD-RDC, Rapport annuel (2021).
14. Kane AS., et al. “Evaluation de l’hygiène buccodentaire des patients consultant le service d’odontostomatologie du centre de santé de référence de ouelessebougou au Mali”. African Journal of Dentistry and Implantology 17 (2020).
15. Zouaoui A., et al. “Evaluation de la pratique des mesures de l’hygiène bucco-dentaire chez les patients consultant au service de parodontologie du CHU de Tlemcen”. Revue des Sciences Médicales d'Oran 3 (2021): 13-16.
16. Abbe-Denizot A. “État bucco-dentaire des femmes enceintes et conséquences sur la grossesse”. Sages-Femmes 4 (2023): 12-15.
17. Bonnot J and F Pillon. “Une bonne hygiène bucco-dentaire pour prévenir les caries”. Actualités Pharmaceutiques524 (2013): 39-44.
18. Ménard C., et al. “Santé bucco-dentaire des adultes”. Evolution 35 (2016): 1-10.
19. Bury J. “Éducation pour la santé”. Glossaire (2004): 10.
20. Dargent-Paré C and D Bourgeois. “17. La santé bucco-dentaire, in Les inégalités sociales de santé”. La Découverte (2000): 267-282.
21. Despland JN., et al. “L'évaluation des psychotherapies”. 2018: Médecine sciences (2018).
22. Dietrich A and X Weppe. “Les frontières entre théorie et pratique dans les dispositifs d’enseignement en apprentissage”. Revue Management et Avenir 10 (2010): 35-53.
23. Azogui-Lévy S and ML Boy-Lefèvre. “La santé bucco-dentaire en France”. Actualité et dossier en santé publique 51 (2005): 4-8.
24. Béry A., et al. “Étude grand public de l'impact de l'hygiène et de l'état bucco-dentaire sur la qualité de vie”. Actualités Odonto-stomatologiques 246 (2009): 157-166.
25. Assia B and HK Ikram. “Thème: Evaluation de la pratique des mesures de l’hygiène bucco-dentaire chez les patients consultant au service de parodontologie du Centre Hospitalo-Universitaire de Tlemcen” (2021).

Citation

Citation: Hermès Karemere., et al. “Evaluation of Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Regarding Oral Hygiene among Adults in the City of Bukavu: Case of the Kadutu Health Zone”.Acta Scientific Medical Sciences 9.5 (2025): 12-19.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2025 Hermès Karemere., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.