ArticleBMC health services research2025
A qualitative study of Yorùbá culture and the utilisation of modern dental services for oral health.
Article in BMC health services research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- A call for a paradigm shift to community-embedded, home-based primary preventive oral health care in Africa.Frontiers in oral health · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
17 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundDental service utilisation in Nigeria is low, with limited understanding of the contextual factors driving poor service utilisation. The study aimed to explore the influence of the intersection of Yorùbá traditions, oral health practices, and the utilisation of modern dental services.
methodsThis study employed a qualitative research design using a phenomenological approach. It used a virtual community reflexivity approach to explore personal understandings of traditional remedies, proverbs, taboos, and beliefs that shape oral health behaviours within Yorùbá communities. A community of practice was formed following a public call on five WhatsApp groups that engaged researchers and people interested in cultural practices. Discussions on perspectives on the link between Yorùbá orature, oral health practices, and dental service utilisation were facilitated over six weeks. The discussions were analysed inductively, and emerging themes were shared at a two-hour culture-oriented seminar for validation. The feedback from the validation meeting was used to finalise the manuscript.
resultsThe community of practice had 113 members, and the validation meeting had 122 attendees (58 physical and 64 online). Two themes and six sub-themes were identified through the inductive analysis. The first theme was 'Cultural Significance of Dental Service Utilisation' linked to four subthemes, namely: (i) Proverbs, Songs and Folklore, (ii) Taboos and Stigmatized Conditions, (iii) Home-Based Remedies, (iv) Spiritual and Herbal Practices. The second theme was 'Modern Implications of Cultural Practices' linked to two subthemes, namely: (v) Normalization of Pathologies, and (vi) Cultural Resistance to Modern Dentistry. The findings highlighted the cultural significance of oral health, with aesthetic and spiritual considerations often taking precedence over modern dental interventions. The routine use of herbal remedies at home is widespread, and the normalization of some dental pathologies results in a delay in seeking professional care. Stigmatisation associated with oral conditions further reinforces reliance on home-based remedies and delays in seeking care.
conclusionThe interrogation of Yorùbá orature suggests oral aesthetics have spiritual connotations for life and wellness, which makes oral self-care practices a routine part of the daily lives of the community. Modern dentistry programmes and practices need to foster culturally sensitive public health messages and strategies to improve the utilisation of oral health facilities for preventive care.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.