| ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2018 | Volume
: 7
| Issue : 3 | Page : 150-158 |
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Patients' attitudes toward screening for medical conditions in a dental clinic at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja
Temitope Iyadunni Bakare1, Eyituoyo Okoturo2, Bola Obisesan3, Afolabi Oyapero4
1 Department of Restorative Dentistry, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria
2 Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Lagos State University College of Medicine/Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Nigeria
3 Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Surulere, Lagos, Nigeria
4 Department of Preventive Dentistry, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Afolabi Oyapero
Department of Preventive Dentistry, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos
Nigeria
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/ijhas.IJHAS_110_17
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BACKGROUND: Early identification of people at increased risk of disease who could benefit from prompt intervention can prevent the onset or control the severity of the disease. This study investigated the knowledge and perceived barriers of dental patients toward screening for medical conditions within a dental setting.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Consenting participants (n = 500) who presented in the Dental Department of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital were recruited using a simple random sampling method. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain sociodemographic information as well as the respondents' knowledge, attitudes, and perceived barriers regarding screening for medical conditions by a dentist. Data entry and analysis were done using SPSS version 19 and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
RESULTS: Majority of respondents were aged <40 years, were females, and had at least 12 years of education. Most of them (63.4%) had poor knowledge on the risk factors predisposing them to medical conditions and on the oral complications of systemic diseases (57.6%). Majority of the respondents (64.6%), however, had a positive attitude toward screening for medical conditions in a dental clinic. The barriers they envisaged for screening in the dental setting were cost (67.2%) and increased waiting time (65%) for screening.
CONCLUSION: The study participants had a positive predisposition toward screening for medical conditions in the dental clinic even though they had concerns about payment and extra time spent for screening. Opportunistic screening for medical conditions is recommended for consenting high-risk patients identified during dental visits. Adequate budgetary allocation to the National Health Insurance Scheme should also be made to address the financial constraints that patients have.
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