Oral Cancer Teaching of Medical Students in the UK: Time for a New Approach?

Abstract

Many patients with oral lesions present to general medical practitioners (GMPs). GMPs are also more likely to see patients with higher oral cancer risk. Therefore, GMPs play an important role in the early detection and prevention of oral cancer but is this reflected in undergraduate medical teaching. A questionnaire regarding oral cancer teaching was delivered to the curriculum directors of all UK medical schools. A response rate of 66% was achieved. There was wide variation in teaching time, teaching methods employed, and specialties involved. Sixty percent of schools provided clinical examination of patients with oral lesions. Up to 55% of medical schools included oral cancer in student assessment. There is wide variation in oral cancer teaching in UK medical schools. There is a need to develop a curriculum that addresses the important aspects of oral cancer from an evidence-based consensus approach.

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

“…This is analogous to findings of Carter et al [1] and Ogden (2007) [5] who found that oral medicine was the most frequently selected point of referral. Such preference can be explained by the availability of oral medicine specialty at Taibah Dental Hospital which also precludes its generalization to other regions without a dental hospital.…”

“…Oral cancer incidence is increasing worldwide in the last decades [1]. 1 Although it is known to be a disease of elderly, younger patients are also affected [2].…”

“…Furthermore, ignorance of early signs of oral cancer can delay clinical presentation and referral which, therefore, adversely increase morbidity and mortality rates [5]. Preceding studies have reported the lack of oral cancer awareness amongst doctors and dentists, particularly among medical and dental students [1][2][3][4][5]. It has been reported that there is an increased need for undergraduate dental students to be educated and trained in the identification of signs and symptoms of oral pre-malignancy and malignancy in addition to early patient's management.…”

“…It has been reported that there is an increased need for undergraduate dental students to be educated and trained in the identification of signs and symptoms of oral pre-malignancy and malignancy in addition to early patient's management. Prevention is, therefore, possible by spreading awareness [1]. The aim of this study is to determine the level of oral cancer awareness by assessing the knowledge of undergraduate dental students regarding etiology, risk factors, diagnosis, and management of oral cancer.…”

Opportunities for achieving early diagnosis of oral cancer within the medical profession in Australia

“…182,183 The UK study highlighted that undergraduate oral cancer teaching varied widely in terms of duration, format, and content across British medical schools. 184 Its authors recommended the development of a curriculum addressing important aspects of oral cancer from an evidence-based approach that can be integrated into the alreadycrowded undergraduate medical curriculum. 184 There are no data on the awareness, knowledge, and attitudes toward opportunistic oral cancer screening in the Australian GMP population.…”