Knowledge and Practice of Oral Cancer Screening in Teaching Faculty—Comparison of Specialty and Year of Clinical Experience

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge, practice, confidence, and perceived barriers to oral cancer screening among teaching faculty in Japan. Results were compared by specialist as well as years of clinical experience. A 25-question survey was used to assess the oral cancer screening practices of faculty dentists at Iwate Medical University, School of Dental Medicine, the only dental school located in the northeast (Tohoku) region of Japan. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Iwate Medical University. The response rate was 83% (n = 110, 71.8% were male). This survey revealed that only 43.6% of the dentists performed oral cancer screening frequently (always or usually) at the initial appointment, and there was no significant differences between specialists and clinical experience. Visual inspection of the oral cavity was the primary screening method, but the frequency and content of the examination (TMJ and tonsil) was significantly different between specialties. A history of cancer and tobacco use motivated providers to perform an examination and was significantly different between various specialists and clinically experienced providers. In contrast, HPV and alcohol consumption were a weak motivator. The confidence level of providers on their examination knowledge/skills was poor, especially among junior faculty. More than 80% of junior faculty indicated a lack of knowledge/skills as a major barrier.

An instrument calibrated by Item Response Theory to assess knowledge about head and neck cancer

“…This research generated a bank with 113 items (Figures 1-4) to evaluate the "knowledge about head and neck cancer" in any respondent (or group of respondents). On the other hand, in this research we do not intend to present the result referring to the volunteers who composed the sample: high school students and dental surgeons 6,13,[25][26][27][28] , but use the diversity of their answers, in the calibration process, for the positioning of the items in the "knowledge about head and neck cancer" scale" 20,29,30 . It is a (0,1) scale, in which zero(0) represents the mean and one(1) the standard deviation of the ability of the reference group: the first group of students of the 3 rd year of high school.…”

“…The questionnaire is a good instrument for measuring knowledge, and can be calibrated by IRT, a type of measure that starts from a secondary, observable reality, which is the behavior, the response, the item; to end up at a hypothetical, unobservable reality, which is the latent trait 14,28 .…”

Knowledge of oral and oropharyngeal cancer by dental surgeons: an integrative review

“…Knowledge and Practice of Oral Cancer Screening in Teaching Faculty -Comparison of Specialty and Year of Clinical Experience (29) 2019 Japan…”

“…Of the 18 international studies included in this review, although not all are homogeneous, 13 of them (3,(7)(8)16,(19)(20)(22)(23)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29) presented results that show low or limited knowledge about oral/oropharyngeal cancer. These deficiencies were pointed out in issues such as lack of knowledge of certain risk factors, gaps related to an efficient continuing education, as well as deficiencies in performing the examination for early detection of mouth/ oropharynx cancer.…”

Oral cancer screening experiences, practices and beliefs of prosthodontists in Saudi Arabia: A survey study

“…Dental practitioners can play a pivotal role in the early identification of oral cancer/potentially malignant oral lesions, which in turn leads to earlier intervention and better overall management outcomes. Many studies worldwide have assessed the knowledge and practices of dentists regarding oral cancer and showed unsatisfactory results [10][11][12][13][14]. Among dental practitioners, dental prosthodontists -dental practitioners who specialize in providing dentures for edentulous patientsare able to play a crucial role in the prevention and early detection of OC through opportunistic screening of oral mucosa in edentulous older adults [15].…”