Evaluation of preventive care in the dentistry department clinics of the University Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar

This was a cross-sectional study of 295 patients treated by dentistry students that aimed to evaluate the preventive care received by patients attending clinics of the dentistry department of the University Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar. The sociodemographic characteristics of the patients, clinic specialty, patients’ brushing technique and the other preventive care was recorded. The study sample comprised 48.5% men and 76.6% adults. Over 32% of the patients were from the conservative dentistry clinic. For 52.2% of the patients, no preventive action was provided. The use of visual aids when teaching oral hygiene was observed for 17.4% of cases. Attitudes and practices of the dentistry students in relation to care require more vigilance and emphasis on prevention.