Assessing the willingness of Nigerian dentists to adopt salivary diagnostic kits: a pilot cross-sectional study

Saliva has emerged as a valuable diagnostic fluid because of its non-invasive collection, cost-effectiveness, and the presence of multiple biomarkers. Despite its clinical potential, the use of saliva-based diagnostics in low- and middle-income countries, including Nigeria, remains limited. This pilot study assessed Nigerian dentists’ awareness and willingness to adopt ancillary salivary diagnostic kits in dental practice. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among 119 licensed dentists in Nigeria, using an online questionnaire. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, encountered oral and medical conditions, diagnostic practices, and willingness to use saliva diagnostics were collected. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed using SPSS (version 26), with significance set at p < 0.05. The majority of respondents were aged 20–29 years (52.1%) and had graduated within the past five years (66.4%). While 71.4% reported an awareness of saliva diagnostics, only 23.5% had previously used saliva testing. Dental caries (92.4%), plaque/calculus (73.1%), and tooth wear lesions (42.9%) were the most frequently reported oral conditions, whereas hypertension (93.3%) and diabetes (73.1%) were the most common medical conditions observed among patients. Overall, 64.7% of the respondents expressed a high willingness to adopt saliva-based diagnostics. Willingness was significantly associated with the number of years since graduation (p = 0.046) and residency training status (p = 0.033), but not with age, gender, or ethnicity. This pilot study demonstrated a high level of awareness but low utilization of saliva diagnostics, with younger and trainee dentists showing a potentially greater willingness to adopt these tools. Targeted educational initiatives, integration into dental curricula, and supportive policies are required to promote the clinical uptake of saliva-based diagnostics in Nigeria.