ABSTRACT

Objective: Early diagnosis of oral cancer can increase the probability of cure and survival rates in human. Ensuring that knowledge to dentists about oral cancer will improve the efficacy of prevention, screening and management of these lesions. This paper is aimed at determining the knowledge and practices of dental professionals and practitioners regarding oral cancer. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among the dental professionals & practitioners in south of Tamil Nadu Results: The response rate to the survey was 100%. About two third (72%) of the respondents exhibited good knowledge and 76.2% average knowledge about the risk factors of oral cancers. At least, over 85% of the dentists replied that tobacco and betel nut chewing were risk factors for oral cancers. Over 90.0% of the respondents cited the buccal mucosa (96.7%) as the most common sites of oral cancers. A total of 96.7% of the dentists routinely ask patients on the use of alcohol and tobacco and about 83.6% of the respondents routinely provide oral examination to elderly patients. Conclusion: Although, the dental professionals in south of Tamil Nadu easily identified betel nut and tobacco as risk factors for oral cancers, knowledge about commonest form, commonest lesion, frequent site was all above average. After the survey all participants accepted that Training Programmes can emphasis on diagnostic and prognostic factors of oral cancer. Keywords: Oral cancer, Screening, Dental Postgraduates, Practisioners, Tamil Nadu
Publication date: 01/06/21

https://ijbpas.com/pdf/2021/June/MS_IJBPAS_2021_5522.pdf

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https://doi.org/10.31032/IJBPAS/2021/10.6.5522