Evaluation of Radiation Safety Culture in Dental Radiology Units at Teaching Hospitals in Ogun State

Dental radiography delivers radiation doses to the head, neck, and thyroid regions, and the safety culture of dental radiology units, encompassing staff attitudes, protective behaviours, and systemic safety management practices, has direct implications for cumulative dose to both patients and dental health workers. At teaching hospitals in Ogun State, South West Nigeria, the radiation safety culture in dental radiology units has not been previously evaluated. This study evaluates the radiation safety culture in dental radiology units at teaching hospitals in Ogun State. A descriptive cross-sectional design is employed, with the validated Radiation Safety Culture Assessment Tool administered to 85 dental radiographers, dentists, and dental nurses across Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital and Federal Medical Centre Idi-Aba. The instrument measures leadership safety commitment, safety training provision, protective equipment compliance, incident reporting behaviour, and peer safety norms. Descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA comparing culture scores across professional groups are computed in SPSS. Available dental radiation safety literature from South West Nigerian hospitals identifies absence of regular protective apron checks, infrequent dosimetry monitoring in dental units, and weak incident reporting culture as the predominant safety culture deficiencies. The ICRP Publication 145 eye lens dose guidelines and the Nigerian Radiographers Registration Board safety standards provide the normative reference. Findings are expected to reveal variable safety culture across professional groups, with dental radiographers showing higher safety compliance scores than dental clinical staff. Recommendations address inter-professional radiation safety training and leadership-driven safety culture improvement strategies. Keywords: radiation safety culture, dental radiology, teaching hospitals, Ogun State, South West Nigeria.