Year : 2020

Volume : Volume 11

Issue : Issue 1

Address for correspondence :
Dr. Md Asad Iqubal.
md.asadiqubal@gmail.com

Abstract

Background:  The objective and aim of the current study was to assess knowledge of oral cancer, and dentist attitude toward oral cancer examination, and clinical practice among dentists practicing in the governmental health sector in the State of Bihar, including the influence of personal characteristics.  Materials and Methods: All 542 dentists practicing in Primary Health Care Centers (PHCC) were invited to participate in this cross-sectional study. Of these, 354 completed a self-administered, 40-item questionnaire. Based on the replies, knowledge of the risk factors for and clinical demonstration of oral cancer was categorized as high, medium, or low, and then further separated into satisfactory (medium/high) and unsatisfactory (low). Data on attitudes toward oral cancer examination and clinical practice was also taken from the questionnaire. Results: The mean score for acquaintance of the clinical presentation of oral cancer was 7.59 (standard deviation [SD] = 2.40) out of 14. The mean score for knowledge of the risk factors for oral cancer was 8.96 (SD = 2.31) out of 16. Dentists with _10 years of experience were more likely to have reasonable knowledge of oral cancer compared to dentists with >15 years of experience. Attending a continuous professional development (CPD) course on oral cancer showed a trend with satisfactory clinical knowledge, although it was not statistically significant. Conclusion: This study identified gaps in dentists’ knowledge of oral cancer; dentists verified unsatisfactory knowledge of the clinical presentation of and risk factors for oral cancer. The findings highlighted the need for educational interventions on oral cancer, which are vital to improving health care outcomes and delivery of care.

Keywords: Oral cancer; knowledge; attitude; practice; dentists.