Oral squamous cell carcinoma knowledge, attitude, and practice assessment among Iraqi dentists: a questionnaire-based study

Alshami, Muhanad; Murtadha, Rana; Aslan, Hussein

doi:10.21608/asdj.2024.296778.1315

Oral squamous cell carcinoma knowledge, attitude, and practice assessment among Iraqi dentists: a questionnaire-based study

Document Type : Original articles

Authors

¹ Department of Dentistry, Dijlah university college, Baghdad, Iraq

² Department of Oral Diagnosis, College of dentistry, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq

³ Al-Karkh General Hospital, Ministry of health, Baghdad, Iraq

10.21608/asdj.2024.296778.1315

Abstract

Aim: Oral squamous cell carcinoma ranks among the top cancers in the world. It is preventable and can be successfully treated when diagnosed at an early stage. It is often detected at advanced stages, resulting in aggressive therapies and poor prognosis. The lack of knowledge among dentists about early detection has been shown to contribute to delays in diagnosis and treatment. The study aims to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice towards oral cancer among Iraqi dentists.
Materials and Methods: The study was a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study. The questionnaire comprises demographic data and 28 questions regarding knowledge (ten questions), attitude (ten questions), and practice (eight questions). The correct and wrong answers scores 1 and 0 respectively. The knowledge and attitude score are categorized as negative (≤ 5) and positive (> 5). The practice score divided into negative (≤ 4) and positive (> 4).
Results: The participants were 449 dentists. The questions regarding common oral cancer and referring the suspected malignancy to a specialist gained the highest correct response. The knowledge regarding the early symptoms of oral cancer was not corrected by the highest percentage of participants. The only significant association between the demographic data and knowledge, attitude, and practice was between good attitude and long experience.
Conclusion: This study identified deficiencies in knowledge, attitude, and practice about oral cancer. Therefore, it’s important to review undergraduate curricula and improve educational programs for dentists in terms of early diagnosis and prevention of oral cancer.

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