Knowledge, Awareness and Attitude of Medical Interns towards Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery as a Surgical Specialty and Potential Career Path: A Multicentre Study in Lagos, Nigeria

Objectives: To determine the knowledge of medical interns in oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) and their awareness and attitude towards further training and specialization. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the University of Lagos and the Lagos State University Teaching Hospitals, Nigeria. Participants were medical interns. Exposure to OMFS, knowledge, awareness and attitude to further learning and specialization in OMFS were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. Results: A total of 110 medical interns with a mean age of 28.2 ± 3.26 years participated in this study. Only 62 (56.4%) participants had undergraduate and/or postgraduate training in OMFS. The mean knowledge score for OMFS as a medical specialty was 8.9 on a 13-point scale. In addition, 88 (80.0%) participants identified tooth extraction as a dental procedure performed by OMF surgeons. Participants who had co-managed patients with OMF surgeons exhibited significantly higher knowledge compared to their colleagues (p< 0.05). Seventy-two (65.5%) participants reported their perception of inadequate knowledge of OMFS, 62 (56.4%) reported that they would like to learn more about the specialty, and 44 (40.0%) reported that they would consider OMFS as a specialty if it were available for medical practitioners in Nigeria. Conclusion: This study showed that there was a lack of sufficient exposure of young medical practitioners to OMFS. This, however, did not significantly affect their knowledge as an above average mean knowledge score was reported. Medical interns in this study also showed a positive attitude towards further training and future specialization in the OMFS specialty.