Self Reported Experiences of Interns’ Regarding Oral Cancer Detection: A Questionnaire Survey

Abstract

Aim:To determine theself-reported knowledge and experiences regarding oral cancer detection among dental interns relatingto the etiology, risk factors and signs of oral cancer. Materials &Method:A cross-sectional survey was carried out using a questionnaire developed by Carter and Ogden which was modified, among 97 dental interns of a private dental college. The questionnaire was designed to collect information on demography; knowledge of interns in etiology, signs, and symptoms and undergraduate experience in examination and biopsy procedure and management of malignant and premalignant lesions.Descriptive analysis was carried out.Comparison of mean scores between gender using Unpaired t test. Differences were considered significant when p<0.05. Results:The response rate was 97.9%. About 70.6% of the interns examine the oral mucosa routinely during clinical examination. Majority of them (83.7% )were aware of the red and white lesions affecting the oral mucosa and 81.5% have encountered oral cancer patients in their clinics. None of them felt that they have sufficient knowledge regarding detection and prevention of oral cancer and a vast majority (92.4%) were strongly positive and wanted more teaching and information on oral cancer in the form of information packs (32.6%), lectures (21.7%), seminars (25%) and interactive sessions (20.7%). Conclusion:The level of awareness regarding early detection and prevention of oral cancer was low among the dental interns.