Evaluation of knowledge and attitudes of dentists and dental students about oral cancer

Yıl 2025, Cilt: 35 Sayı: 1, 75 - 82, 20.01.2025

Dicle Altındal , Filiz Acun Kaya

https://doi.org/10.17567/currresdentsci.1442875

Öz

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and negative attitudes of dentists and 4th-grade and 5th-grade students of dentistry towards oral cancer (OC).
Methods: The study was conducted on 417 individuals consisting of 100 dentists, 186 5th-grade, and 131 4th-grade students. The questionnaire included questions on demographic characteristics, 10 questions measuring their knowledge about OC risk factors (knowledge-risk factors), 5 questions measuring their knowledge regarding the diagnosis of OC (knowledge-diagnostic procedures), and 11 questions assessing their attitudes towards OC (negative attitudes).
Results: While there is no significant difference between dentists and 5th-grade students in knowledge-risk factors and knowledge-diagnostic procedures total scores, the total score of the 4th-grade students was statistically significantly different from these groups (P =.001). Looking at the negative attitudes total score, there is no significant difference between 5th and 4th-grade students, while total score of dentists was observed a statistically significant difference (P=.001). While knowledge-risk factors and knowledge-diagnostic procedures total scores were significantly and positively correlated (r=.287, P<.05), negative attitudes total score showed a significant negative correlation with knowledge-risk factors total score (r=.103, P<.05). Deficiencies were observed regarding the clinical characteristics of the prior oral lesion among participants. The group who considered leukoplakia and erythroplakia most likely to become precancerous lesions were 5th-grade students by 81.7%. Most participants indicated their need for further training, especially on OC and screening.
Conclusion: In the study, deficiencies were observed in the groups about OC. Therefore, deficiencies should be assessed comprehensively at regional and national levels, and it should be addressed.
Keywords: Dental student, dentists, knowledge, mouth neoplasms, risk factors, squamous cell carcinoma

Anahtar Kelimeler

Dental student, dentists, knowledge, mouth neoplasms, risk factors, squamous cell carcinoma

Etik Beyan

Ethics committee approval of this study was obtained from Van Yuzuncu Yil University Non-Interventional Clinical Research Ethics Committee with decision number 2023/07-11 (Date: 14/07/2023).

Destekleyen Kurum

No financial support was received for this study.

Teşekkür

The authors of this study would like to thank Prof. Dr. Siddik Keskin for performing the statistical analysis (Van Yuzuncu Yil University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Biostatistics).

Diş hekimi ve diş hekimliği öğrencilerinin ağız kanserine ilişkin bilgi ve tutumlarının değerlendirilmesi

Öz

Amaç: Bu çalışmada diş hekimleri ile diş hekimliği 4. ve 5. sınıf öğrencilerinin ağız kanserine (AK) yönelik bilgi ve olumsuz tutumlarının değerlendirilmesi amaçlandı.
Yöntemler: Araştırma 100'ü diş hekimi, 186'sı 5. sınıf ve 131'i 4. sınıf öğrencisi olmak üzere 417 kişi üzerinde gerçekleştirildi. Ankette demografik özelliklere ilişkin sorular, AK risk faktörleri (bilgi-risk faktörleri) hakkındaki bilgilerini ölçen 10 soru, AK tanısına ilişkin bilgilerini ölçen 5 soru (bilgi-tanısal işlemler) ve AK'ye yönelik tutumlarını değerlendiren 11 soru (olumsuz tutumlar) yer aldı.
Bulgular: Diş hekimleri ve 5. sınıf öğrencileri arasında bilgi-risk faktörleri ve bilgi-teşhis prosedürleri toplam puanları arasında anlamlı bir fark bulunmazken, 4. sınıf öğrencilerinin toplam puanları bu gruplardan istatistiksel olarak anlamlı derecede farklıydı (P=.001). Olumsuz tutumlar toplam puanına bakıldığında 5. ve 4. sınıf öğrencileri arasında anlamlı bir fark bulunmazken, diş hekimlerinin toplam puanları istatistiksel olarak anlamlı farklı idi (P=.001). Bilgi-risk faktörleri ve bilgi-tanısal prosedürler toplam puanları anlamlı ve pozitif yönde korelasyon gösterirken (r=.287, P<.05), olumsuz tutumlar toplam puanı ile bilgi-risk faktörleri toplam puanı arasında anlamlı ve negatif korelasyon bulundu (r=.103, P< .05). Eski oral lezyonun klinik özelliklerine ilişkin eksiklikler gözlendi. Lökoplaki ve eritroplaki'nin kanser öncesi lezyonlara dönüşme olasılığını en fazla düşünen grup %81,7 ile 5. sınıf öğrencileri oldu. Katılımcıların çoğu, özellikle AK ve tarama konusunda daha fazla eğitime ihtiyaçları olduğunu belirtti.
Sonuç: Araştırmada gruplarda AK konusunda eksiklikler gözlendi. Bu nedenle eksiklikler bölgesel ve ulusal düzeyde kapsamlı bir şekilde değerlendirilmeli ve giderilmelidir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Diş hekimliği öğrencisi, diş hekimi, bilgi, ağız neoplazmaları, risk faktörleri, yassı hücreli karsinom

Kaynakça

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