Nigerian law enforcement agents' knowledge and enforcement of drink-drive law.

OBJECTIVE: To understand how knowledgeable and equipped the law enforcement agents in Nigeria are to enforce the drink-drive law. METHOD: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study of Law Enforcement Agents in four Nigerian states selected by convenient sampling. The study utilized a pre-tested questionnaire designed to obtain subjects' demographic data, elicit their knowledge about drink-drive law, and understand how equipped the subjects are. A team member walked respondents through the questions to ensure comprehension and accuracy with completion of the questions. RESULT: 496 law enforcement agents were studied. They were 414(83.5%) male and 82(16.5%) females, mostly aged 21-40 years (64.3%). Close to half (48.2%) were police officers, while 35.7% were officers in the Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC). 45% of respondents had secondary/high school education, while 39.5% had bachelor's degree; with a significant majority in the FRSC. 269(54.2%) respondents had convicted a road user of drunk driving/riding on the basis of subjective assessment. The use of breathalyzers and awareness of permissible Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC)/Breath Alcohol Concentration (BrAC), was reported by a few respondents (5%), mostly FRSC officers, and others with relatively higher educational attainment. The majority were ignorant of the approved BAC limit in Nigeria (0.05 g/100 dl) and objective methods of assessing breath alcohol concentrations. CONCLUSION: In Nigeria, there is a huge knowledge gap on the drink-drive law and the acceptable penalties for offenders in Nigeria among law enforcement agents. The law enforcement agents lack equipment for objectively detecting drunk driving among road users. Our findings call for an urgent intervention in the training and practice of law enforcement agents if the prevalence of RTC arising from drunk driving will be reduced in Nigeria.

Current status of oral and maxillofacial radiology in West Africa.

BACKGROUND: Oral and maxillofacial radiology became the ninth dental specialty recognized by the American Dental Association (ADA) in 1999. This came about following the discovery of X-rays by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen in 1895 and, 14 days later, the application of X-rays to making dental radiographs by Otto Walkhoff. The purpose of this narrative study was to review the evolution of oral and maxillofacial radiology as a dental specialty in the USA and its recognition as a program of training by the West African College of Surgeons. METHODS: This study was conceptualized as a narrative review of the literature focusing on the history and development of oral and maxillofacial radiology in the USA. It builds a synthesis that describes the recognition of oral and maxillofacial radiology as a specialty of dentistry in West Africa, UK, Japan, and Australia. RESULTS: The main finding was that oral and maxillofacial radiology became the ninth specialty recognized by the American Dental Association, ADA, in October 13, 1999. On March 20, 2014, the West African College of Surgeons recognized this specialty and granted accreditation for postgraduate training. In the UK, Japan, and Australia, the postgraduate education in oral and maxillofacial radiology has two patterns, namely professional training and academic training. CONCLUSIONS: The primary goal of the postgraduate training curriculum is to train radiologists who are competent to deliver care to patients in any clinical setting, including a dental school, hospital radiology practice, or private practice.