Awareness of Undergraduate Dental Students at Taibah University toward Early Detection of Oral Cancer

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine level of oral cancer awareness by assessing dental students’ awareness of etiology, risk factors, diagnosis, and management of oral cancer. A total of 70 undergraduate dental students at Taibah University, from third to fifth years, enrolled in a cross-sectional study during June 2013 academic year by filling in a questionnaire assessing their knowledge of oral cancer. Data were piled up and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Our results revealed that most of students recognized tobacco as a major risk factor for oral cancer. Regarding intra-oral site, 61% of students’ distinguished tongue as the most common site. Concerning clinical signs, more than half of fourth year students were able to identify non-homogenous leukoplakia and erythroplakia as putative oral cancer signs. Overall, this study revealed quite unsatisfactory level of awareness concerning oral cancer among undergraduate dental students. This implies the necessity to improve dental education programs to enhance knowledge of oral cancer risk factors and early detection concepts.