Oral cancer knowledge, attitudes, and practices among senior dental students in Yemen: A multi- institution study

Abstract

Abstract Background: Early detection and timely referral-to-specialized healthcare of Oral Cancer (OC) by different healthcare professionals is crucial for improving treatment outcomes and survival rate of OC patients. This large-scale cross-sectional study aimed to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice on OC among senior dental students in Yemen. Methods. A pre-validated online questionnaire was used for data collection. It consisted of a series of close-ended questions on knowledge, attitudes and practices related to OC. Yemeni dental students in clinical levels (4th and 5th years) from nine dental schools based in four major cities were invited to complete the survey. The study was carried out between May and November 2022. The. SPSS Version 28.0 was used for data analysis. Results: A total of 927 completed the questionnaire: a response rate of 43%. While the majority identified smoking (93.8%), and smokeless tobacco (92.1%) as potential risk factors of OC, only 76.2% recognized sun exposure as a risk factor for lip cancer and only 50% were aware of old age as a risk factor of OC. Regarding clinical signs of OC, 84.1% reported that OC can present as non-healing ulcer; but only two thirds of the participants recognized that OC can present as a white and/or red lesion. With respect to practices, although 92.1% reported asking their patients regarding oral habits, only 78%, reported they regularly carry out a soft tissue examination. Only 54.5% participants considered themselves to be well-trained to provide smoking cessation advice, and 21% were confident regarding their knowledge on OC. The 5th year students showed significantly better knowledge and practices than the 4th year students did (p < 0.01). Conclusion: The study highlights significant gaps in knowledge, attitudes, and practices of senior dental students in Yemen on OC, which may impact adversely on early detection, referral, and prevention of OC. The findings underscore the need to improve OC teaching and training of undergraduate dental students and also to provision well-structured continuing professional development activities for dental professionals.