%0 Journal Article
%T Perception and utilization of oral histopathology services by general practice dentist in Southwest Nigeria
%A A.D. Odofin
%A A.O. Akinyamoju
%A A.O. Balogun
%A B.F. Adeyemi
%A C.A. Akinyamoju
%J -
%D 2017
%X 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.
%K Oral
%K Histopathology
%K General dental practice
%K Southwest Nigeria
%U https://www.ajol.info/index.php/aipm/article/view/166504