Designing a Dental Health Education Strategy for Hajj Pilgrims Departing from Kano State

Hajj pilgrims undergo significant physiological and environmental stresses that can exacerbate dental conditions, and designing a targeted pre-departure dental health education strategy for the large Kano State pilgrim population addresses an important occupational and travel health gap. This study designed a dental health education strategy for Hajj pilgrims from Kano State, North West Nigeria. A professional strategy design methodology was applied, drawing on health assessment surveys of 200 pilgrims at Kano State Pilgrimage Board orientation sessions, structured consultations with 12 Pilgrimage Board health officers and 8 community dentists, and review of published evidence on dental emergencies during Hajj and comparable pre-travel dental health education strategies from Malaysia and Pakistan. Assessment confirmed that 61.0 percent of pilgrims had untreated dental conditions (pain, mobile teeth, incomplete extractions), that only 28.5 percent had received a dental check before departure, and that dental emergencies were experienced by 34.5 percent of previous pilgrims. The strategy developed encompasses three elements: a mandatory pre-departure dental screening component integrated into Pilgrimage Board health assessment, a pocket dental first aid guide in Hausa and English, and a brief oral health education session delivered by dental officers during orientation. Expert review by nine travel health and dental public health specialists confirmed the strategy's practical validity. Recommendations include formal adoption by the Kano State Pilgrimage Welfare Board, funding pre-departure dental screening through Hajj levy allocation, and evaluation of dental emergency rates at post-Hajj medical debriefs.

Keywords: Hajj pilgrims, dental health education, Kano State, pre-departure dental screening, travel dental health