Perception and utilization of oral histopathology services by general practice dentist in Southwest Nigeria

Background: Oral histopathology services are oral diagnostic procedures. General Dental Practitioners (GDPs) are routinely exposed to oral lesions that require biopsies. Hence, the study’s objective of assessing the perception and the utilization of oral histopathology services by GDPs.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at dental clinics distributed across Southwest Nigeria. A self-administered questionnaire consisting of sections addressing the socio-demographic/professional aspects; the beliefs of GDPs and their utilization of oral histopathology services was used to collect data. A modified 5-point Likert rating scale was used to indicate the extent of agreement or disagreement with statement constructs. Analysis was done using SPSS for windows version 20.0. Significance was assessed at 5%.Results: There were 56.1% males and 43.9% females. The peak age range was 30-39 years (35.4%), while 58.5% had < 10 years of practice and 79.3% work in government dental centres. Many of the respondents (61.0%) thought suspicious lesions should be biopsied, 47.6% thought that specialists’ skills were not required for biopsy. Furthermore, 53.7% had poor perception scores while 81.1% of those who had seen oral lesions that required biopsies, had poor utilization scores.Conclusion: The GDPs had a poor perception and utilization of oral histopathology services. Continuous medical education is needed to increase awareness amongst dentists.Keywords: Oral; Histopathology; General dental practice; Southwest Nigeri

Oral health knowledge and practice among traders in Ibadan

Background: Adopting good oral health practices such as regular tooth brushing and flossing; healthy nutritional habits and regular visits to the dentist, play a vital role in the wellbeing of an individual by preventing oral diseases such as dental caries and periodontal disease. Adequate knowledge of factors related to oral health may influence oral health practices leading to improved oral health.Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the oral health knowledge and practice of a group of adults in Ibadan, Nigeria to enable planning of oral health services.Method: A cross sectional survey involving 400 randomly selected traders at the Bola Ige Modern Market, Gbagi, Ibadan. A semi-structured intervieweradministered questionnaire was used to obtain information on sociodemographics, oral health knowledge and practice. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics at p < 0.05.Results: The mean age of participants was 36.9 ±1.2, 37.0% had adequate knowledge that tooth decay was related to sweet food substances, but the majority (61.9%) consumed carbonated drinks at least once a week. Only 22.8% had ever visited a dentist in their life time and 5.8% in the last six months. Knowledge of who a dentist was associated with their level of education, with more participants who had tertiary education (83%) having greater knowledge (X2= 38.3, p < 0.001). About 70.3% of the study participants used a toothbrush and toothpaste to clean their teeth.Conclusion: There is poor oral health knowledge amongst adult Nigerians and they utilize oral health practices that do not engender good oral health.Keywords: Dental caries, Periodontal disease, Oral health awarenes

Clinical and histological diagnosis of oral pathologic lesions, any concordance?

Objective: This study aims to examine the concordance between clinical and histopathological diagnosis of surgical specimen of oral lesions using partial biopsy technique. Methods: This was a retrospective study that utilized the data obtained from the case notes and histology record of 433 patients that had biopsy done between 2008 and 2017. Information on patients' age, gender, type of biopsy, presumptive clinical diagnosis and histopathologic diagnosis were obtained. Concordance between presumptive clinical and histopathologic diagnosis (incisional and final surgical specimen as the case may apply) and rate of misdiagnosis were assessed.Results: Excisional biopsies were more often used for benign lesions while incisional biopsy with or without surgical specimen were more often used for malignant lesions. Benign lesions were more frequently diagnosed than malignant lesions. The presumptive clinical diagnosis was erroneous for 40.3% and 22.1% of lesions following incisional histopathology and surgical specimen histopathology report respectively. Lesions that were subjected to both incisional and surgical specimen biopsies had a misdiagnosis rate of 11.2%.Conclusion: Incisional biopsy and post-surgical specimen histopathology investigation are important tools in the effective management of oral pathologic lesions. Keywords: Clinical diagnosis, incisional biopsy, excisional biopsy,  concordance, misdiagnosi

Maxillectomy and quality of life: Experience from a Nigerian tertiary institution

Introduction: Maxillectomy is a surgical procedure for managing tumors affecting the maxilla; the goal of maxillectomy however should not be limited to tumor extirpation but should include restoration of oronasal function and facial contours, as failure to do these may give rise to psychosocial and functional challenges. This study aimed to appraise the pattern of maxillectomies, challenges of management, and quality of life (QOL) of a proportion of the study population.Materials and Methods: This was a cross‑sectional study carried out at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University College Hospital, Ibadan. Patients’ case files from year 2000 to 2016 were retrieved and reviewed. Data extracted for analysis included age, gender, site of lesion, and histologic diagnosis; lesions were grouped as benign or malignant. Contacts were made with patients or their next of kin for a clinic review appointment where QOL was assessed with the University of Washington Quality of Life version 4 Questionnaire. Data were analyzed and result presented as means and frequencies.Results: Out of the 78 cases of maxillectomy recorded in the department within the study period, records were available and adequate in 67 cases. There were 37 (55.2%) females with a mean age of 35.88 ± 14.9 years. Swelling was the most common reason for presentation (63, 94%). The mean period between onset of disease and presentation for treatment was 3.66 ± 3.35 years. Distribution of lesions was benign 35 (52.2%) and malignant 32 (47.8%). Hemi‑maxillectomy was the commonest surgical procedure (23, 34.8%). While majority had some prosthetic rehabilitation, 31 participants (48.5%) obtained no prosthesis. Eight participants gave scores of ≥75% when comparing their present health‑related QOL (HR‑QOL) with a month before surgery; the overall QOL was ≥60%. However, HR‑QOL and overall QOL in the last 7 days before assessment were rated as good in 55.6% and 66.7%, respectively. Chewing was the most important domain to participants.Conclusion: The pattern of presentation and indications for maxillectomy in this series are similar to that from previous studies. The uptake of prosthetic rehabilitation was low and overall QOL was rated as fair. QOL should be considered as part of treatment outcome measure for maxillectomy.Keywords: Indications, maxillectomy, quality of life, rehabilitatio