Knowledge and Practice Regarding Oral Cancer: A Study Among Dentists in Jakarta, Indonesia

Bridging the knowledge-Practice gap: Insights from a survey of Belgian dental professionals on diagnosis and supportive oral cancer treatment in comparison with international guidelines

OBJECTIVE

Early detection significantly improves the prognosis of oral cancer patients, contingent upon the knowledge of dental professionals. This study aimed to assess and compare the knowledge, practices and perceptions regarding oral cancer among dental professionals in Belgium.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was distributed via Qualtrics to general dentists, dental specialists, dental hygienists, and oral and maxillofacial surgeons. The self-administered questionnaire comprised three sections: demographics (4 questions), knowledge (9 questions) and clinical practices (19 questions) related to oral cancer detection and treatment. Descriptive statistics were employed for data analysis, with Chi-square tests assessing responses by specialization, gender, years of experience and number of oral cancer patients treated.

RESULTS

A total of 262 questionnaires were completed, with the majority of respondents being general dentists (61%) followed by dental specialists (25%), oral hygienists (8%) and oral and maxillofacial surgeons (6%). 70% of the respondents reported treating fewer than four oral cancer patients throughout their careers. 5 out of the 9 knowledge questions achieved over 50% correct responses, with an average correct answer rate of 54%. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons and dental professionals who have treated more than four oral cancer patients, demonstrated significantly higher scores on multiple knowledge questions. Responses to clinically oriented questions showed less diversity across professions, and generally aligning with guidelines from professional oncological societies.

CONCLUSION

This survey highlights the need for enhanced education on oral cancer among Belgian dental professionals. Knowledge levels were notably higher among more experienced respondents. The development and implementation of comprehensive guidelines tailored to dentists and oral hygienists for oral cancer prevention and patient care are warranted to optimize clinical practice standards.

General dentists' knowledge, perceptions, and practices regarding oral potentially malignant disorders and oral cancer in Indonesia

INTRODUCTION

The most effective means for reducing oral cancer (OC) mortality is by preventing late-stage disease. Early diagnosis can be improved by increasing awareness among healthcare providers, specifically general dental practitioners (GDP). Therefore, our study aimed to assess GDPs' knowledge of OC risk factors and perceived competence in performing conventional oral examination (COE) in routine dental practice.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study conducted in five provinces of Indonesia, namely: Aceh, Banda Aceh (BA); Bandung, West Java (WJ); special district Jakarta (JKT), JKT; Pontianak, West Kalimantan (WK); and Sorong, West Papua (WP). The local Dental Association or Faculty of Dentistry invited the GDPs to attend an education program and complete the survey.

RESULTS

One hundred seventy-seven GDPs completed the survey (WJ, n = 63; BA, n = 44, JKT, n = 27; WP, n = 23; and WP, n = 20). A large proportion (164 out of 177, 92.66%) of GDPs felt they had received insufficient training to equip them to diagnose OC and as many as 22.6% (n = 40) did not refer to specialists when they found suspicious mucosal lesions. Notwithstanding the significant regional variations, the majority of Indonesian GDPs self-reported inadequate knowledge and awareness of OC and scarce confidence in performing COE.

CONCLUSION

GDP knowledge of OC risk factors and COE is key to improving early diagnosis of OC at a community level. Therefore, it is suggested that the lack of knowledge and confidence of GDPs reported here should be addressed through the national dental curriculum in Indonesia.

Clinical competency of dental health professionals and students in diagnosing oral mucosal lesions

OBJECTIVE

Proper identification of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) provides an opportunity for oral cancer prevention. This study aims to assess the competency of dental health professionals in identifying OPMDs and, in turn, reducing the incidence of oral malignancy by early detection.

METHODS

A 26-case online questionnaire of oral mucosal lesions was distributed to cohorts of 363 dental health professionals and dental students in Australia. The participants were asked to provide their provisional diagnosis for each case based on the available information.

RESULTS

The overall accuracy in identifying oral mucosal lesions was 65.9%. There were no significant differences in the overall diagnostic accuracies between dental specialists, general dental practitioners and final-year dental students (p > 0.05). The lowest diagnostic accuracies were associated with normal mucosal variations and OPMDs. The predoctoral dental curriculum showed statistically significant values in terms of improving skills in diagnosing oral mucosal lesions.

CONCLUSIONS

Lack of adequate knowledge in identifying OPMDs was evident among the participants, highlighting a non-promising figure in reducing the incidence of oral cancers in Australia. Comprehensive modifications of the current continuing professional development system are required to ensure adequate knowledge among dental health providers in Australia.

Association between sociodemographic characteristics and level of knowledge about oral cancer among Mexican dental health professionals: a cross-sectional online survey

BACKGROUND

A good level of knowledge in dentists is crucial for an early diagnosis of oral cancer (OC). In Latin America there are a few studies of OC knowledge among dentist, those has been performed in Brazil, Colombia, and Chile, and their results showed low level of OC knowledge. On the other hand, there is no publication in which the level of knowledge of dentists in Mexico has been addressed. Therefore, this study aimed to assess knowledge of OC and to determine the association of the level of knowledge with sociodemographic characteristics among dentists in Mexico.

METHODS

A cross-sectional online survey was designed to obtain information via questionnaire. The questionnaire was developed in the Spanish language, and the content validity was determined. The study was conducted among Mexican dentists with a 23-item questionnaire that was designed to be anonymous. The sample size was calculated using the finite population formula. Based on the responses, the level of knowledge of OC was categorized as very low, low, regular, good, or excellent. Additionally, the association between sociodemographic characteristics and the level of knowledge about OC was evaluated.

RESULTS

This research was conducted on a sample of 387 dentists. Most of the respondents were general dentists and worked in urban zones. The majority of dentists lacked a specialty (76.7%). Additionally, most of the respondents were students (44.2%). The level of knowledge of the participants was between regular and good (77.8%). On the other hand, concerning self-evaluation, most of the participants considered their knowledge of OC to be regular (50.6%). In addition, there was no association between sociodemographic characteristics and knowledge about OC.

CONCLUSIONS

This research identified some weaknesses in most Mexican dentists' knowledge of OC.