Influence of years of professional experience in relation to the diagnostic skill of general dental practitioners (GDPs) in identifying oral cancer and precancerous lesions

Abstract

To evaluate skill in diagnosing cancer and oral precancerous lesions among general dentists in the Autonomous Community of Murcia (Spain). Twenty randomly distributed clinical images were used, of which 45% corresponded to benign lesions, 35% to oral precancerous lesions, and 20% to oral cancer. Each case was accompanied by a summarised clinical history. The study sample comprised 150 general dentists divided into two groups: group I (60 recently graduated dentists without professional experience) and group II (90 dentists with established professional activity). In group I, the sensitivity of oral cancer diagnosis was 61.3% versus 85.5% in group II (p < 0.001), while the sensitivity of precancerous lesion diagnosis was 71.7% in group I versus 80.7% in group II (p = 0.004). The results obtained show that junior dentists and general dentists with public or private practice need more training and more experience in diagnosing cancer and oral precancerous lesions.