tobacco use, alcohol consumption and self-rated oral health among nigerian prison offi cials

background: the oral health condition and lifestyle in term of tobacco use and alcohol consumption of custodian of prisons have been left unstudied. the purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of tobacco use, alcohol consumption and self-rated oral health among nigerian prison officials. methods: this cross-sectional study was conducted among prison officials working in abuja, nassarawa and kano prison yards between march and june 2011 using 28-item self-administered questionnaire as a tool of data collection. the questionnaire elicited information on demography, self-rated oral health, oral health behaviors, oral health conditions, tobacco use, pattern and quit attempts, alcohol consumption, type and pattern. results: the participants were aged between 20 and 51 years, with a mean age of 32.25 ± 6.13 years. the majority of the participants were males (66.4%), christians (76.7%), junior officials (78.1%) and of northern origin (50.7%). a total of 50 (34.2%) of the participants indicated that they were tobacco users and 39 (78.0%) indulged in cigarette smoking only. of the study participants, 67 (45.9%) indicated they consume alcohol, beer majorly and gin rarely with 23 (34.3%) consuming it excessively. the dominant tooth cleaning device utilized by the participants was toothbrush and toothpaste, and 65 (44.5%) had visited the dentists with the majority of the visit done >5 years ago. about one-third 57 (39.0%) reported experiencing one or more forms of oral disease. however, it was only 17 (11.6%) of them that rated their oral health poor/fair, and the determinants of self-rated oral health were age, rank, and oral health condition. conclusions: data from this survey revealed that the majority of the participants rated their oral health as good/excellent. the prevalence of tobacco use and alcohol consumption among prison offi cials was higher than reported values among the general population in nigeria. this indicates that more surveillance and intervention studies are needed to evaluate the best way to control tobacco use and alcohol consumption among prison offi cials in nigeria.