Background: Non-utilization of blood and inappropriate blood transfusion are common in surgical operations. Some surgical procedures are associated with minimal bleeding that does not warrant blood transfusion. No previous study has looked at the pattern of blood loss in noma defect repair to determine the possible need for blood transfusion. Aim/Objectives: This study aimed to determine the total amount of blood loss, the number of units of blood transfused, and the correlation between estimated blood loss and total operating time in patients who had surgical correction of noma defects. Materials and Methods: This is a hospital-based cross-sectional study of 35 patients who underwent surgical correction of noma defects. Age, sex, pre- and post-operative haemoglobin (Hb), number of requested blood units, total operating time, and total estimated blood loss were recorded. The methods used for the blood loss estimation were gauze swabs, Abdo-packs, drapes, and suction bottles. Results: Comparison of the mean pre- and post-operative Hb did not yield any statistically significant difference. The total estimated blood loss in these surgeries was in the range of 65–209 mL, with a mean of 117.20 ± 35.88 mL. No correlation between estimated blood loss and total operating time was noted ( P = 0.940). No blood was transfused in any of the subjects. Conclusion: This study observed minimal blood loss in surgical corrections of the soft tissue noma defect. Apart from blood grouping, there may be no need for routine cross-matching of blood pre-operatively for surgical repair of noma defect. However, more studies are needed to buttress this finding.

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Background: A dental implant is an artificial root inserted surgically in the process of single or multiple teeth replacements. This study aims to evaluate the awareness, knowledge, and approval of dental implant treatments among dental patients in our hospital. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 442 adult patients attending the Dental Clinic of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital Sokoto State, Nigeria, from March 2021 to February 2022. After obtaining ethical approval, participants were recruited using a structured questionnaire. This questionnaire consist of 12 questions, assessing the patient's awareness, knowledge, and willingness to approve a dental implant as an option for teeth replacement. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS (IBM SPSS) software version 20. Results: There were 293 (66.3%) males and 149 (33.7%) females with an mean ± standard deviation of age 37.4 ± 12.4 years and a range of 20–65 years. Two hundred and forty-six (55.7%) were unaware of a dental implant as an option for missing teeth replacement and 196 (44.3%) have heard of a dental implant. The majority of respondents (73%) heard about dental implants from a dentist, followed by social media (19.4%). Responses from questions yielded variable responses about the knowledge of implant. Regarding the patient's approval, 80.1% expressed their willingness to replace missing tooth/teeth with a dental implant. Conclusion: This research revealed a below-average level of awareness of dental patients about a dental implant as an option for teeth replacement. Dental surgeons need to do more on information dissemination about the use of dental implants.

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