Psychosocial aspects of Noma (Cancrum Oris) in sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review

Abstract

Noma is a neglected tropical disease of an underserved population. Our review describes the volume and scope of existing research evidence on psychosocial aspects of Noma in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Our literature search was conducted on all original peer-reviewed research articles on the psychosocial aspects of Noma in each country in SSA using PubMed, Google Scholar, and a direct search of reference list of pertinent journal articles. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines was used to describe the review. A total of six studies were found in four countries of the region. One in three persons with Noma has a mental health condition, indices of social disadvantage and belief in the supernatural causation of the disease are very common. However, despite evidence of enormous need, a huge gap still exists in the area of psychosocial alleviation.