Oral cancer knowledge among Turkish dental patients

Aims: To determine the level of oral cancer awareness and knowledge among patients referred to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology in Central Anatolia. Settings and Design: The study was conducted with 1,125 patients who applied to the school of dentistry for routine dental examinations. The authors collect information with a 20-item written questionnaire from the participants about oral cancer risk factors, epidemiology, etiology, and signs and symptoms. Statistical Analysis: Descriptive statistics of demographic variables and other data were reported as means and percentages. Statistical analysis was performed by means of SPSS +11.0 statistical package. Results: Overall, only 48.9% of all patients showed awareness of oral cancer, with awareness especially poor among lower socioeconomic groups. Awareness of oral cancer risk factors and signs and symptoms did not vary significantly between men and women (P > 0.5); however, older participants (aged 40-64 years) were more familiar with oral cancer signs than younger participants. More than half of all participants (56.8%) were unaware of the common clinical presentations of oral cancer. Conclusions: The results of this survey showed knowledge regarding oral cancer to be quite low. Thus, educational programs are needed to increase public awareness about oral cancer, and dentists should request patients undergo examinations for oral cancer to ensure early detection.