PERCEPTION AND UTILIZATION OF ORAL HISTOPATHOLOGY SERVICES BY GENERAL PRACTICE DENTIST IN SOUTHWEST NIGERIA.

Area of Science:

• Oral Pathology
• Dental Diagnostics
• Public Health Dentistry

Background:

• Oral histopathology services are crucial for diagnosing oral lesions requiring biopsies.
• General Dental Practitioners (GDPs) frequently encounter such lesions in their practice.
• Assessing GDPs' understanding and use of these services is vital for improving oral healthcare outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the perception of oral histopathology services among General Dental Practitioners (GDPs).
• To assess the utilization rates of oral histopathology services by GDPs.
• To identify factors influencing GDPs' perception and utilization of oral histopathology services in Southwest Nigeria.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study was conducted across dental clinics in Southwest Nigeria.
• Data was collected using self-administered questionnaires assessing socio-demographics, beliefs, and service utilization.
• A modified 5-point Likert scale was employed, with data analyzed using SPSS version 20.0.

Main Results:

• A majority of GDPs (61.0%) believed suspicious lesions warrant biopsy, yet 53.7% exhibited poor perception scores.
• While 47.6% felt specialist skills weren't essential for biopsy, a significant 81.1% showed poor utilization of oral histopathology services.
• Respondents predominantly worked in government dental centers (79.3%) with 58.5% having ≤10 years of practice.

Conclusions:

• General Dental Practitioners in Southwest Nigeria exhibit inadequate perception and utilization of oral histopathology services.
• There is a clear need for continuous professional development and enhanced medical education to improve dentists' awareness and application of these diagnostic tools.
• Targeted educational interventions can bridge the gap between the perceived importance and actual use of oral histopathology, ultimately benefiting patient care.