The oral cancer knowledge of dentists in Northern Germany after educational intervention

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge about oral cancer, in particular about diagnostic items and risk factors, after educational intervention by means of a standardized survey. On the basis of the evaluation at baseline, an educational programme consisting of different approaches (for instance, oral presentations, poster, DVD and a brochure) was designed. In May 2009, the questionnaire 'Practices and opinions about oral cancer' focusing on the knowledge about diagnostic factors and risk factors for oral cancer was mailed to every dentist in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany (n = 2280). The results were based on 394 of 2280 questionnaires. After a 1-year educational intervention, the dentists' overall knowledge about diagnostic procedures and risk factors for oral cancer had improved. The low baseline results for diagnostic procedures and risk factors showed the highest improvement rate immediately after the intervention. Within the reevaluation subgroups, responders who had attended a continuing education course during the intervention period showed better results compared with the whole sample of the reevaluation. The results showed that a structured educational programme with different approaches increases dentists' knowledge about diagnostic procedures and risk factors. This intervention may not only give useful recommendations for further educational courses, but emphasizes the necessity of attending continuous further educational courses.

Human Papillomavirus and Head and Neck Cancer: Psychosocial Impact in Patients and Knowledge of the Link – A Systematic Review

“…Forty-one papers from 37 studies assessed knowledge about HPV and HNC [45] , [46] , [47] , [48] , [49] , [50] , [51] , [52] , [53] , [54] , [55] , [56] , [57] , [58] , [59] , [60] , [61] , [62] , [63] , [64] , [65] , [66] , [67] , [68] , [69] , [70] , [71] , [72] , [73] , [74] , [75] , [76] , [77] , [78] , [79] , [80] , [81] , [82] , [83] , [84] , [85] . Over half ( n = 23) were conducted in the USA [46] , [47] , [48] , [49] , [52] , [54] , [56] , [62] , [67] , [68] , [69] , [70] , [71] , [73] , [74] , [75] , [76] , [77] , [78] , [80] , [82] , [83] , [84] , [85] , with others from Germany ( n = 4)…”

“…All were published between 2002 and 2015. Quantitative studies ( n = 40) [45] , [46] , [47] , [48] , [49] , [50] , [51] , [53] , [54] , [55] , [56] , [57] , [58] , [59] , [60] , [61] , [62] , [63] , [64] , [65] , [66] , [67] , [68] , [69] , [70] , [71] , [72] , [73] , [74] , [75] , [76] , [77] , [78] , [79] , [80] , [81] , [82] , [83] , [84] , [85] used survey-based data collection methods and one qualitative study collected data using focus groups [52] .…”

“…Studies assessing knowledge of HPV and HNC included samples of dental students [48] , [49] , [55] , [65] , [81] , medical students [64] , [74] , [81] , [85] , general undergraduate students [66] , [82] , [83] , [85] , oral health providers (dentists and dental hygienists) [46] , [50] , [52] , [53] , [58] , [59] , [60] , [69] , [71] , [75] , [79] , head and neck surgeons [68] , healthcare professionals [57] , [61] , [63] , [75] , a population-based sample of US men [47] , [76] and a population-based sample of US adults [54] , [67] , [73] , [78] , [80] . Some specific sample populations were included, such as American Indian community members [56] , bisexual and homosexual populations [62] , [72] , [77] , [84] and National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) fans [85] .…”

Knowledge and Attitude of Iranian Dental and Medical Students towards Oral Precancerous Lesions

“…However, some studies have had similar results with the present study as developed in Germany, where it was found that 64% of dentists perform oral cancer examinations for young people, and 94% of them considered performing this examination for the elderly over 40 years as essential. However, only about 30 percent of them performed such screening examinations for their patients in the first session or the next session [22].…”

Knowledge on Oral Cancer among Postgraduate Dental Faculty Students

“…There are several risk factors for oral cancer; some of the known ones are different kinds of tobacco, alcohol, inappropriate life style and nutritional habits, viruses and the sunlight (8) Many studies in the United States, Canada and Europe have evaluated the knowledge of dentists about oral cancer and concluded that there is still needed to improve the knowledge of dentists in detection and management of oral cancers (9,10,11). They also recommended to conduct more studies in order to estimate current knowledge of dentists and to include it in future educational courses (11,12).…”