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Background: Telemedicine has been documented as a viable option in attending to patient's need where distance is a critical factor. The Federal Government of Nigeria on March 27, 2020, imposed a total lockdown in Lagos state in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The restriction in movement prevented many patients from attending their regular clinics and physical consultations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use and effectiveness of telemedicine among the hospital health professionals during the lockdown period. Methods: This was an online cross-sectional study among doctors at a tertiary health facility in Lagos. Ethical approval was obtained from the institutional ethical committee. A list of the telephone and WhatsApp contacts of doctors were obtained from the hospital directory; the SurveyMonkey tool was used as an online web-based structured questionnaire for data collection. The information obtained was analyzed to find means and averages. Results: A total of 104 doctors completed the survey. The proportion of participants who used telemedicine was 93.3%, with the most commonly used telemedicine option being phone call (27.1%) and WhatsApp video call (27.1%). The main management provided during this period was counseling (56.6%). Seventy-nine percent of the participants were satisfied with the result of the management provided through telemedicine options, but the major concern was that of ethical issues (36.2%). Majority (44.2%) of the respondents agree that telemedicine was effective during the COVID-19 lockdown period. There was no association found between gender, age, designation, and perceived effectiveness of telemedicine by respondents in this study (P = 0.88, 0.4, and 0.07, respectively). Conclusion: Telemedicine was found to be a useful tool for effective patient's management during the lockdown period although there exist ethical concerns. The formulation of policies guiding its use will ensure the security of information and patient's confidentiality.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a highly infectious disease that poses a threat in dental practice especially in prosthetic clinics due to the peculiar nature of prosthodontic procedures.The aim of this study was to determine the attitude and practices in prosthodontics during COVID-19 period.An online cross-sectional survey was done among dentists practicing prosthodontics across Nigeria.The survey was carried out by sending validated structured self-administered questionnaire to dentists on different social and speciality platforms. The questionnaire was designed into four segments namely socio-demographics, attitude, practice, and preparedness of dental staff towards COVID-19.Data analysis was done using SPSS software program, version 25.0. Statistical significance was established atA total of 123 participants were seen with mean age of 45.20 ± 10.80 years. The specialists (48.0%) constituted the largest group, and the majority of participants were from the southwest (74.8%). Only 27.6% were very eager to perform dental procedures. Majority (64.2%) of the treatment was done by consultation via telephone calls, the use of telephone calls was not associated with age nor gender (The eagerness to perform dental procedures was low and majority of treatment was done by consultation via telephone calls. However, prosthodontic procedure was done by a few of the dentists according to the recommended guidelines for prevention and control.

Objectives: Alginate impression commonly used in denture fabrication has drawbacks, which affects the quality of dentures. The objective is to determine the association between handling of alginate and denture quality. Materials and Methods: A structured questionnaire was administered to dental personnel, managing patients that required removable prosthesis in a multicenter cross-sectional pilot study. Information gathered were that of age, sex, number of teeth replaced, manipulation of impression material, disinfection of impression material, and quality of dentures. Likert scales were used to rate the participants' manipulation of alginate impressions and the quality of dentures. Statistical Analysis: Data were collated and analyzed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20. Differences between categorical variables were tested for significance using Chi-square tests, and Student's t-test was used for means. A linear relationship between variables was tested using correlation statistics, and all statistical significance was inferred at P

Aim: To investigate the relationship between patients self perceived satisfaction and basal seat characteristics in edentulous patients attending a teaching hospital in Lagos.Materials and Methods: Consecutive edentulous patient seen for 6 months in Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos were recruited for this longitudinal study. The data collected were basal seat characteristics and self perceived satisfaction.Results: A total of 30 patients were seen but only 24 complied with the study protocol. The use of objective assessment in classifying maxillary residual ridge showed that there was a significant association (P=0.045) between the ridge and self perceived satisfaction. There was no significant association between self perceived satisfaction and shape of mandibular ridge, palatal vault and vestibular depth.Conclusion: There was a significant association between shape of maxillary residual ridge and self perceived satisfaction. Objective preclinical assessment of residual ridge may help to project satisfaction and determine treatment option.

The aim of this study was to determine the level of awareness of dental implant in Nigerian patients and their willingness to choose dental implant as a tooth replacement optionA survey was conducted among patients presenting for dental treatment in 3 teaching hospitals and private dental clinics in 3 urban cities of Nigeria using a self-administered questionnaire. A total of 294 out of 325 questionnaires were returned completely filled.39.8% of the respondents have knowledge of dental implants as tooth replacement option. 35% and 26.5% are willing to choose implant for replacement of missing anterior and posterior teeth respectively. Patients with high level of education are significantly better informed on implants as a method of tooth replacement. The major source of information is the dentist (41.5%) followed by friends (17.7%).The level of awareness of dental implants was low despite the high level of education of the respondents. Willingness to choose implant as tooth replacement option was low due to high cost of dental implants and the need for surgery.Keywords: dental implant, patient awareness, tooth replacement

Background: The perception of maxillary midline diastema differs in different individuals and continent. Culture and other factors are believed to influence the perception of maxillary midline diastema. The aim is to determine the influence of dental knowledge on the perception of maxillary midline diastema. Materials and Methods: Study was done in Nigeria, which consists of diverse ethnic and social African groups. A two-stage sampling method was done to select participants between the ages 20 and 49 years. Participants were randomly selected from the University of Lagos and Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria. A structured questionnaire including a set of color smile photographs with varying sizes of maxillary midline diastema (narrowest = 2 mm; widest = 6 mm) was administered, and grading of attractiveness of smile was done. This information was evaluated using a Likert scale. Results: Study participants were 89 and age range was between 20 and 49 years with the mean age being 27.9 ± 7.9 years. Female participants were 49.4%, while male was 50.6%. The proportion of those who were medically inclined was 47.2% and those that were nonmedically inclined were 52.8%. Prevalence of midline diastema was 16.9%. About 52% of the medically inclined and 48.9% of nonmedically inclined participants rated maxillary midline diastema of 4 mm as acceptable (P = 0.02). At 6 mm width, there was a general rating of unattractiveness with 83.3% medically inclined and 66% nonmedically inclined participants rating it unattractive (P = 0.03). A higher percent (73.8%) of the medically inclined participants did not like midline diastema (P = 0.00). Conclusion: This study was able to demonstrate the perception of maxillary midline diastema in dental and nondental professionals.

Objective: To determine the sociodemographic factors that affects the usage of complete dentures. Material and Methods: A structured questionnaire was administered to edentulous patients seen in a prosthetic outpatient department of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria. Complete dentures were fabricated, assessed, and fitted, and the patients were followed up for six months. Information sought included demographics of the subjects, their socioeconomic status, reason for demand for complete dentures, and important considerations for its use. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 16.0 (SPSS 16). The level of statistical significance was set at P Results: Thirty patients participated in the study. The mean age of patients seen was 63.30 ± 17.67 years. Grouping of subjects into socioeconomic levels by occupation showed that one-third (33.3%) was classified as dependent. Twenty-one patients (70%) requested for both upper and lower dentures, six patients (20%) wanted upper dentures only, and three patients (10%) requested for lower dentures only. The commonest reason for demand for complete dentures was mastication (100%), followed by aesthetics (63%). The reasons for the use of dentures were basically aesthetics and mastication. Conclusion: Demand for complete dentures was greater among those 60 years and above. Age, gender, and socioeconomic status of patients had no statistically significant effect on the reason for demand for and usage of dentures.