Determination of the Root Canal Length of Teeth of Bantu Patients Attending the Teaching Hospital of Kinshasa University

Background: There is paucity of literature on the determination of the root canal length of Bantu subjects in dental professional practicing in Africa and Democratic Republic of Congo in particular. Aims: The aim of the present study was to determine the root canal length of teeth of Bantu patients extracts attending the Teaching Hospital of Kinshasa University. Methods and Material: Prospective cross-sectional study was carried out in the service of Conservative Dentistry. The patients suffering with pulpitis of permanent teeth which were selected for root canal treatment during the period of January 2014 to December 2016 were included. All patients whose main root canals were inaccessible, teeth carrying prosthesis, teeth with large coronal decay, teeth having periapical periodontitis, supernumerary teeth, wisdom and primary teeth were excluded. Results: The upper canines presented some significant longer canals compared to the lower canine (23.4 ± 2.3 mm and 21.6 ± 1.8 mm). Palatal canals of the first and second molar were respectively longer as compared to the superior teeth canals (21.5 ± 1 mm, 21.3 ± 2 mm). The distal canals of the first and second molar were the longest in the mandibular arch respectively measuring 20.7 ± 2.0 mm and 21.5 ± 1.7 mm. Conclusion: Data obtained from Bantu patients show slightly shorter roots compared to some European populations, but longer than some Asian populations.

Status of Oral Prosthetic Rehabilitation of Edentulism at the University Clinics of Kinshasa (CUK), DR Congo

Objective: The present work aimed to identify the most common edentulousness and prosthesis type (prosthetic treatment), to improve the management in oral prosthetic rehabilitation in DR Congo. Material and Methods: It was a documentary, longitudinal, and retrospective study of the medical records of edentulous patients admitted to the prosthetic service of the Dental Department/Kinshasa University from January 1983 to December 2020. Age, sex, cause of teeth loss, and prosthetic treatment (partial removable prosthesis, complete removable prosthesis) were evaluated. The Chare square test was performed to compare significant differences between the variables and the P-value < 0.05 was set as significant. Results: One thousand six hundred and ninety patients in that 901 were men (47 ± 16 years) and 789 women (42 ± 15 years) had undergone prosthetic treatment. One thousand eight hundred and forty-four edentulous teeth were viewed according to the Kennedy classification. Kennedy class 1 was the most predominant (61.4%) followed by Kennedy class 3 (24.8%). Two thousand one hundred and ninety-one prostheses were performed. The removable partial prosthesis with plate (acrylic resin) was the most performed (78.8%;n = 1727) and followed by the joint (17.4%;n = 384). Dental caries (52.6%) and periodontitis (36.4%) were the main causes of these edentulous teeth. Conclusion: The present study showed that edentulism is becoming a concern for the implementation of a real oral health policy.

Average Odontometric Value of the Width of the Upper Central Incisor in the Congolese Bantu of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the average values of width of the upper central incisor (WUCI) in Congolese Bantu and compare them to those of Caucasians and Asiatic. Material and Methods: It was a prospective cross-sectional study carried out at the Université de Kinshasa on the Congolese Bantu, Department of Dental Medicine, from March 2020 to March 2021. A maxillary imprint was taken by Jeltrate-type alginate. The measurement of two healthy upper central incisors (UCI) was carried out by the hard plaster casting type 4, with a brand caliper, carbon fiver composite mark. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the School of Public Health in the Université de Kinshasa and verbal consent was obtained from each participant. Results: The Average Width of the UCI was 8.74 mm ± 0.56. The average width of the right Upper Central incisor (RUCI) and the left UCI (LUCI) was 8.71 mm ± 0.57 and 8.77 mm ± 0.56, respectively. The average width of the RUCI and LUCI was not the same for men and women (p 0.001). A significant difference was observed between the average of the RUCI and the 18 - 28 and 40 - 50 age group (p = 0.056) as well as for the average LUCI (p = 0.085). The width average of UCI between the Congolese Bantu with those of Caucasians and Asians was significantly different (p = 0.000 and p = 0.009). Conclusion: The average width of the RUCI and LUCI was different among sex and age group. The average width of UCI of the Congolese Bantu is different from that of Caucasians and Asians.