UWCScholar
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Oral health-related quality of life, dental status and treatment needs of people with substance use disorder
(University of the Western Cape, 2025) Smit, Dirk Albertus; Naidoo, Sudeshni
Introduction: Substance use disorder (SUD) remains a growing health problem globally with the 2021 prevalence of 5.8% representing 296 million people who used drugs. The oral health impact of substance use disorder has been comprehensively described outside South Africa, but not as yet been investigated for its effect on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) especially within the South African context. The present study investigated the oral health status, dental treatment needs, oral health behaviour (OHB) and impact on OHRQoL of patients who were enrolled in a substance use treatment programme in theWestern Cape, South Africa. Furthermore, the study investigated the extent to which oral health interventions were offered for patients being treated for substance use disorder. Aim: The aim of the present study was to investigate the oral health impact of substance use disorder (SUD), as well as to document the oral health interventions offered to patients enrolled in a treatment programme for a SUD. Methods: A cross-sectional study design with a mixed methods approach was used to collect data, together with standardized instruments, to measure severity of dental caries and presence of periodontal disease. A validated questionnaire was used to determine oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). The dental treatment needs of patients was described from the both the perspective of the patient (using clinical examinations) as well as staff (using focus group discussions) who were working at substance use treatment centres. A qualitative approach was utilized to determine the extent to which oral health interventions were incorporated into the general treatment programme for SUD
The hope for a new earth? Eschatological consummation in seventh -day adventist (eco)theology
(2024) Mqhayisa, Siyamthanda; Conradie, Ernst
This study is situated in the intersection between systematic theology and Christian ecotheology. It focuses on eschatology, and more specifically, the hope for a “new earth”, as this is understood in the context of Adventist theology with specific reference to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The research problem that is addressed is whether and to what extent Edward Heppenstall (1901-1994), Norman Richard Gulley (1933-2022), and Fernando Canale (1945-), as leading Seventh-day Adventist theologians, avoid an escapist eschatology in their interpretation of the “new earth” (Belief number 28 of the 28 Fundamental Beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church)? On this basis, this study critically analysed relevant writings of the three selected theologians. This required a comparison of the three authors to identify and describe the similarities and differences in their views in this regard. The main criterion for assessing their views was how they addressed the critique of an escapist eschatology that is widely found in contemporary Christian ecotheology. This study will contribute to the growth of ecotheology within the Seventh-day Adventist tradition.
The false optimism of electrification: why universal electricity access has not delivered urban energy transformation in South Africa
(Elsevier Ltd, 2025) Lemanski, Charlotte; de Groot, Jiska; Haque, Anika Nasra
Universal access to energy is a global priority, increasingly delivered through grid-tied and off-grid infrastructure. However, energy policies frequently conflate universal access with extending and subsidising networked electricity, resulting in technology-dominated approaches. Rapid urbanisation in the global south has outstripped infrastructure capacity, where urban dwellers' access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable forms of energy are precarious. This failure to reflect human needs and societal expectations alongside technical considerations is threatening the sustainability of urban energy transitions. This paper draws from qualitative data with low-income urban dwellers and municipal policymakers to critically examine South Africa's energy access policies. We demonstrate how prioritising ‘electricity for all’ via grid connections fails to deliver universal access to affordable energy. First, the state's emphasis on extending and subsidising networked electricity prioritises proximity to grid connections rather than access to energy services, and permanently excludes households living in un-serviceable structures/settlements. Second, limited community participation produces a policy that ignores low-income households' urban practices and creates perverse incentives to distort energy consumption. We argue that delivering an urban energy transition that is economically feasible, locally appropriate and socially desirable requires policy expansion beyond physical delivery, working with targeted communities on policy development, knowledge exchange, and capacity building.
Temporal shifts in key mangrove crab species linked to biotic and abiotic factors at a latitudinal range limit
(Academic Press, 2025) Rajkaran, Anusha; Katharoyan, Chaitanya; Peer, Nasreen
Mangroves in South Africa occur at a southern latitudinal limit (33°12′51″ S, 27°34′54″ E) where distribution is influenced by global climate change. Mangroves are experiencing poleward expansion, affecting the distribution of associated macrofauna. Monitoring surveys have been conducted for South African mangrove macrofauna, with research focusing on drivers of ocypodid crabs rather than grapsoid crabs, despite the key role of grapsoids in this ecosystem. Using uni- and multivariate models, we investigated (i) changes in brachyuran community over time (2016 vs 2023), (ii) the potential biotic (food availability, brachyuran diversity and abundance) and abiotic (sediment, water and geographic parameters) factors influencing occurrence and abundance of three co-occurring mangrove crabs (Austruca occidentalis, Neosarmatium africanum and Cristarma eulimene) along the east coast of South Africa, and (iii) the potential distribution of these three species under climate change scenarios. Brachyuran community structure changed significantly over time (2016–2023) at all mangrove sites sampled (df = 1, pseudo-f = 13.95, p < 0.05). Overall, the presence and abundance of all three species were influenced by total brachyuran abundance and diversity, with latitude also influencing the occurrence of these crabs. Specifically, A. occidentalis occurrence was correlated with sediment organic matter and importance values of mangrove tree species to forest structure, while temperature, salinity and sediment moisture influenced their abundance. The presence and abundance of both sesarmids were driven by microphytobenthos and salinity, while temperature influenced abundance. Both climate change scenarios (SSP245 and SSP585) projected future shifts in distribution of all three crab species, with warmer temperatures and increased rainfall patterns expanding habitat suitability of sesarmids in a poleward direction while contracting fiddler crab ranges. This study highlights the ongoing and future impacts of climate change in South African mangroves and their associated macrofauna, suggesting a projected poleward expansion in response to climate change. Additionally, this study highlights future distributional shifts of mangrove associated crabs that can likely alter coastal ecosystem dynamics.
Affect and art: encounters with objects of power in South African museum and archival collections
(Universty of the Western Cape, 2024) Stone, Kristy; Grunebaum, Heidi
This doctoral thesis investigates the ontological foundations of museum praxis by examining four objects of power located in Western Cape Museum archives in South Africa. These objects – a Tsimshian soul catcher, a bushman hunting bag, Entada rheedii sea beans and an azimat (Islamic written amulet) – all classified under the label of "charms," an invented category that groups everything that is not “rational”, Western and Christian together. In museums “charms” are continuously derided as the antithesis of modernism and the embodiment of paganism, animism or as traditional and taken as symbols of “pre-contact societies”. The term "charm" also encompasses objects connected to diverse healing paradigms, intimately tied to ideas of sickness, the body and spirituality. Consequently, these artefacts hold profound personal and social significance to the communities from whence they originated, prompting a deep enquiry about the histories of oppression that resulted in their collection, and whether they should continue to remain in museums and archives. These objects, in other words, challenge traditional museum categories and narratives, asking uncomfortable questions of the institutions that store them and those who study them.