Perception and Attitude of Dental Students and Interns Regarding the Diagnosis and Management of Oral Mucosal Lesions and Salivary Glands Hypofunction

Abstract

Background: The perception and attitude of dental students/graduates regarding diagnosing/managing oral medicine cases are scarcely investigated. Objective: The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the level of confidence in diagnosing/managing cases of oral mucosal lesions and salivary glands hypofunction. Methods: A 29-items questionnaire descriptive survey was distributed among dental interns and sixth-year students in the city of Jeddah during March-April of 2020. Results: A total of 136 (81 interns and 55 sixth-year students) completed the questionnaire, of which 69.9% were from a government school, and 30.1% were from private schools. For oral mucosal lesions [i.e., aphthous/herpes simplex virus ulceration], the majority of government and private schools’ participants reported being confident in their ability to diagnose (88.4% and 87.8%, respectively) and provide treatment (63.2% and 56.1%, respectively). For oral candidiasis, the majority were confident in their ability to diagnose (government: 95.8%; private: 59.1%) and treat (government: 77.9%; private: 65.9%). The confidence in diagnosing lesions suspicious for dysplasia/premalignancy was high in 77.9% of government and 80.5% of private schools. Similar reporting was found regarding salivary hypofunctions (government: 93.7%; private: 90.2%). For the likeness to refer, the majority of participants were likely to refer to oral medicine, as the 1st choice, followed by oral surgery. Conclusion: Dental interns/sixth-year students seemed to have high levels of confidence in diagnosing/managing oral mucosal lesions and salivary hypofunctions. However, the partial participation and the subjectivity of reporting may have hindered capturing the full/precise picture.