The perception and practice of routine lingual flap retraction in lower third molar surgery among oral and maxillofacial surgeons in Nigeria.

Background: Lingual nerve injury is a known complication of mandibular third molar (M3M) surgery, and retraction of the lingual flap is reported to reduce the incidence of this complication. However, there is no global consensus on the routine retraction of lingual flap. Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the perception and practice of lingual flap retraction amongst oral and maxillofacial surgeons in Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional national survey was conducted amongst 122 oral and maxillofacial surgeons in Nigeria from January 2023 to March 2023 using a validated, structured, self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire had three sections and 14-item questions. Section A consists of the sociodemographic questions, Section B comprises questions on perception towards lingual flap retraction, whereas Section C consists of questions on the practice of lingual flap retraction. These questionnaires were deployed as an online survey and as hard copies. Both qualitative and quantitative data were analysed. A critical probability level (P < 0.05) was used as the cut-off level for statistical significance. Results: Most of the participants (47.6%) belong to the age group of 31-40 years. The male-to-female ratio was 6:1. Only 12 (9.8%) participants had a positive perception towards routine lingual flap retractions following M3M surgery. Perception of lingual flap retraction was found not to be associated with the demographic variables of the participants (P > 0.05). A total of 95 participants (77.9%) did not raise nor retract the lingual flap during lower third molar surgery. The rate of practice of lingual flap retraction during third molar surgery was not influenced by any of the factors studied (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The majority of oral and maxillofacial surgeons in Nigeria do not agree that routine retraction of the lingual flap is necessary to reduce lingual nerve injury and majority, too, do not practice this in their management of impacted lower third molar.

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Congenital Heart Disease in Cleft Lip and Palate Patients at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital.

Background: The prevalence of congenital heart disease in patients with cleft lip and palate varies from place to place. There is a paucity of such studies in our region. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors for congenital heart defects (CHD) in children with oral clefts at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital. Methodology: This was a retrospective study of patients with cleft lip and palate who had echocardiography in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) from April 2012 to April 2022. Data were collected from the patient's case notes and the echocardiography registry in the pediatric cardiology unit of the same hospital. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were performed. In inferential statistics, the association between the prevalence of CHD and the studied variables was performed with the Chi-square test. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 21. Results: A total of 225 patients comprising 131 females and 94 males were recruited. The age range was 3 days to 10 years with a median age of 0.6 years. Of the 225 patients, 24(10.7%) had CHD giving a prevalence of 10.7 %. The most common CHDs were atrial septal defect 12(5.33%) and ventricular septal defect 4(1.78%). The prevalence of CHD was significantly (p= 0.02) higher in the patients living outside the study environment compared to those within the study location, and in those with isolated cleft palate (p=0.03) compared to other types of orofacial cleft. Conclusions: The prevalence of CHD is relatively high among cleft lip and palate patients. The residential location and the type of orofacial cleft were associated with higher prevalence in this study.

Patient satisfaction with intraoral examination in a Nigerian tertiary hospital

Objectives: While studies on satisfaction following medical procedures are well documented, but this is not so with dental procedures. Therefore, this study aims to determine the level of satisfaction in patient undergoing intraoral examination (IOE). Material and Methods: Consecutive patients attending the oral diagnosis clinic of University of Benin Teaching Hospital from April 2020 to September 2020 were interviewed using a questionnaire modified from the modified Group Health Association of America-9 questionnaire. Results: A total number of 103 consecutive dental patients were recruited as they all agreed to participate in the study. The age range was 18­77 years with a mean age of 35.8 ± 14.3 years. There were more males (51.5%). The overall satisfaction was 82.5%. The maximum satisfactory response was on doctor's manner (93.2%), followed by staff 's manner (89.3%), comfort during IOE (80.6%), adequate explanation (78.6%), and finally by waiting time (60.2%). There was association between occupation (P = 0.04) of the patients, type of dental condition (P = 0.03), waiting time (P = 0.01), doctor's manner (P = 0.00), staff manner (P = 0.00), adequate explanation (P = 0.00), comfort during IOE (P = 0.00), and level of satisfaction. The problem rate was 16%. Conclusion: Although waiting time and adequate explanation ranked the highest in terms of unfavorable responses, the overall satisfaction of patients following IOE was generally good. The factors that influence satisfaction were occupation of the patients, type of dental condition, waiting time, doctor's manner, staff manner, adequate explanation, and comfort during IOE.