Clinical decision-making regarding histopathologic submission of tooth-associated lesional tissue.

OBJECTIVE

Analyze factors influencing dentists' decisions to discard or submit tissues from tooth-associated lesions, such as those associated with impacted teeth and periapices, for histopathological analysis.

STUDY

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study via online questionnaire with dentists, assessing practices regarding excised tissue management, sociodemographic and professional characteristics. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, Student's t-tests, and logistic regression were used for analysis, with significance at p < .05.

RESULTS

Among 348 dentists (mean age 30.95 ± 9.24 years), 65.8% were female, 58.05% held postgraduate degrees, and 67.53% worked in private clinics. Most participants (85.63%) reported not submitting tooth-associated lesions for histopathological examination. Significant associations with tissue submission included, during dental education: access to pathology laboratories, exposure to anatomopathological reports, and perception of sufficient training in oral pathology and oral medicine. In professional practice, prior experience with biopsy requisition forms and exposure to anatomopathological reports were significant. Logistic regression identified 2 significant predictors of tissue submission: perception of sufficient training in oral pathology and oral medicine during dental education, and exposure to anatomopathological reports in professional practice.

CONCLUSIONS

Although histopathology is crucial for diagnosis, tissue discard remains frequent. These findings highlight the importance of strengthening dental education and clinical training in management of excised tissues in dentistry.