Oral health knowledge, attitudes and behaviour among nursing staff in Lesotho

The decreasing prevalence of oral diseases in industrialised countries is attributed to a paradigm shift of oral health services from being mainly curative to preventative care. In under-resourced countries, the use of non-oral health care workers in the promotion of oral health, can contribute substantially to improving oral health and the adoption of a multidisciplinary team approach in oral health is highly recommended. Owing to the inadequate number of oral health personnel in Lesotho, the use of health care workers other than oral health care workers has been investigated. Nurses are one of the most suitable cadres of health care workers to take on this role. The aim of this study was to determine oral health knowledge, attitudes and behaviour among nurses in Lesotho. A descriptive cross-sectional study, using a random sampling method was used. A self-administered questionnaire with open and closed-ended questions was used to collect the data. The response rate was 87%. Knowledge of aetiology and prevention of dental caries, periodontal disease and the oral manifestations of HIV-infection was found to be adequate, while knowledge of oral cancer was found to be satisfactory. Nurses in Lesotho reported positive attitudes towards the provision of oral health education and oral hygiene practices. Most nurses themselves were found to be symptom-orientated in their utilisation of the oral health services. It is recommended that oral health be given greater attention in the nursing curriculum, with more clinical hands-on training in oral examination and diagnosis of oral diseases.