Dental caries management at a rural district hospital in northern Rwanda: a neglected disease.

SETTING

While some studies have reported the prevalence of dental caries in sub-Saharan Africa, little is known about care-seeking behavior or how dental caries are managed, particularly at rural district hospitals.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the management of patients seeking care for dental caries at Butaro District Hospital (BDH) in rural Rwanda.

DESIGN

This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in BDH, in northern Rwanda. A sample of 287 patient encounters for dental caries between January and December 2013 was randomly selected and stratified by age group (⩽5 years, 6-21 years and >21 years). We estimated the treatment received with 95% confidence intervals in each age group, and differences between age groups were assessed using Fisher's exact test.

RESULTS

Nearly all patients (97.6%) underwent tooth extraction, and this did not vary significantly by age group (P = 0.558). In addition to dental caries, most patients also had chronic pulpitis (74.9%).

CONCLUSION

Caries prevention and care should be prioritized through a developed community program on oral health. We recommend introducing advanced training, equipment and materials for dental caries management other than tooth extraction, and increasing the number of qualified dentists.