An analysis of the knowledge of oral cancer amongst undergraduate medical and dental students at a British University

Author(s):  
P. Davies ◽  
M. Hutchings ◽  
B. Main ◽  
C. Hughes ◽  
S. Thomas
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-26
Author(s):  
Sushil Subedi ◽  
Bijayata Shrestha

Background: Oral Cancer (OCA) is a common malignancy in South East Asia and the burden of the disease is increasing. OCA is usually preceded by Potentially Malignant Oral Disorder (PMOD). The early detection of these diseases may limit the high mortality and morbidity. The objectives of this study were to assess the awareness of burden, associated risk fac­tors, early detection and prognosis of OCA and OPMD among final year medical and dental students.. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted among final year Medical and Dental undergraduate students of Chitwan Medical College, Nepal in April 2017 using a pre tested self-administered questionnaires. All the final year students present at their respective classes (Dental= 50 and Medical=75 students) responded to the questionnaires after giving informed consent. Data entered in SPPS 20 software was analyzed using Pearson Chi Square test and Fisher exact test. Results: Dental students had better awareness concerning PMOD. Yet, the dental students did not differ significantly from their medical coun­terpart in most of the responses related to OCA. Surprisingly, more Dental students had misconception that OCA is not preventable and early detec­tion is difficult. Few of both groups were confident in having sufficient knowledge in OCA prevention and detection. Only 18.6% of Medical stu­dents had examined PMOD and few students of both groups had exam­ined OCA. Conclusions: This study revealed the deficient aspect in the knowledge concerning OCA and OPMD among Medical and Dental students indicat­ing the need to emphasize on these aspects of medical education.


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement 2) ◽  
pp. 30s-30s
Author(s):  
A. Shrestha

Background: Oral cancer is a common malignancy in Nepal and many other southeast Asian countries, which is predisposed by a variety of potentially malignant oral diseases. Considering the importance of knowledge of health professionals and their role in early diagnosis and reduction of cancer statistics. Aim: This study aims to evaluate the awareness of undergraduate dental and medical students toward oral cancer. Methods: The study involved undergraduate dental and medical students of BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal. A self-administered questionnaire adapted from Carter and Ogden was distributed among undergraduate medical and dental students. Results: 143 dental and 311 medical students responded to the questionnaire. Significantly more dental (80.4%) than medical students (36.0%) were found to routinely examine the oral mucosa. Tobacco smoking and chewing were the most commonly recognized risk factors by both medical and dental students. Most of the students found ulcer as the most common change associated with oral cancer. Only 30 out of the total students felt very well informed about oral cancer. Conclusion: This study has demonstrated a lack of awareness in some aspects of oral cancer among medical and dental students which highlights the need to frame new teaching methodologies. Similar studies from other health institutions would provide an insight regarding the same and could be a base for formulating a uniform curriculum in the implementation of knowledge regarding oral cancer.


Author(s):  
Sandeep Goyal ◽  
Anshul Shah ◽  
Prutha Soni ◽  
Pratik Rupakar ◽  
Ridhi Narang ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 277-283
Author(s):  
Latifa Saleem ◽  
Hanan Mahmoud ◽  
Bobby Joseph

Objective: This study aims to assess the knowledge and attitude about oral cancer among undergraduate medical and dental students at Kuwait University Health Sciences Center. Subjects and Methods: Using a structured questionnaire, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among 140 undergraduate Health Sciences Center students at Kuwait University, 70 were medical students and 70 were dental students. Students’ knowledge and attitude about oral cancer and its risk factors, in addition, their diagnostic concepts and opinions were assessed. Moreover, the students’ confidence in their ability to detect and refer clinically suspicious cases was evaluated and the responses were analyzed. Results: Of the 140 undergraduate dental and medical students surveyed, 131 returned the completed questionnaire (93.5% response rate). There was a statistically significant difference detected in the students’ knowledge about betel quid and smokeless tobacco as risk factors for oral cancer development. Also, there was a statistically significant difference in the students’ knowledge about the high-risk age group associated with oral cancer, the viral association with oral cancer, oral premalignant lesions, high-risk areas associated with oral cancer, and the warning features that can raise the suspicion of oral cancer. In addition, there was a statistically significant difference in the students’ confidence and ability to detect pre-malignant lesions and their opinion in their faculty curriculum development.Conclusion: This study highlighted the importance of increasing awareness and attitude towards oral cancer detection by both undergraduate dental and medical students who are considered to be the future primary care providers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-220
Author(s):  
Ahmed Waqas ◽  
Aqsa Iftikhar ◽  
Zahra Malik ◽  
Kapil Kiran Aedma ◽  
Hafsa Meraj ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectivesThis study has been designed to elucidate the prevalence of stress, depression and poor sleep among medical students in a Pakistani medical school. There is a paucity of data on social support among medical students in Pakistan; an important predictor of depressive symptoms. Therefore, this study was also aimed to demonstrate the direct and indirect impact of social support in alleviating depressive symptoms in the study sample.MethodsThis observational cross-sectional study was conducted in Lahore, Pakistan, where a total of 400 students at a medical school were approached between 1st January to 31st March 2018 to participate in the study. The study sample comprised of medical and dental students enrolled at a privately financed Pakistani medical and dental school. The participants responded to a self-administered survey comprising of five parts: a) demographics, b) Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), c) Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), d) Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) and e) Perceived Stress Scale-4 (PSS-4). All data were analysed using SPSS v. 20. Linear regression analysis was used to reveal the predictors of depression.ResultsIn total, 353 medical students participated, yielding a response rate of 88.25%. Overall, poor sleep quality was experienced by 205 (58.1%) students. Mild to severe depression was reported by 83% of the respondents: mild depression by 104 (29.5%), moderate depression by 104 (29.5%), moderately severe depression by 54 (15.3%) and severe depression by 31 (8.8%) respondents. Subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, daytime dysfunction and stress levels were significantly associated with depression symptoms. Social support was not significantly associated with depressive symptoms in the regression model (Beta = -0.08, P < 0.09); however, it acted as a significant mediator, reducing the strength of the relationship between depressive symptoms and sleep quality and stress.ConclusionsAccording to our study, a large proportion of healthcare (medical and dental) students were found to be suffering from mild to moderate depression and experienced poor sleep quality. It is concluded that social support is an important variable in predicting depressive symptomatology by ameliorating the effects of poor sleep quality and high stress levels.


1994 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 439-455
Author(s):  
Barbara B. Blechner ◽  
Christie L. Hager ◽  
Nancy R. Williams

Health law and medical ethics are both integral parts of undergraduate medical curricula. The literature has addressed the importance of teaching law and ethics separately in medical school settings, yet there have been few descriptions of teaching law and ethics together in the same curriculum. A combined program in law and ethics required for first-year medical and dental students was developed and implemented by Professor Joseph (Jay) M. Healey, Jr., at the University of Connecticut Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine from 1975 until his death in 1993. This Article describes the thirty-hour, interactive, case-based course he created. The course, Legal and Ethical Aspects of Medicine and Dental Medicine (LEA), has continued after Jay 's death, and is one of his many legacies to us. LEA consists of fifty-six actual and hypothetical cases written by Jay from which basic legal and ethical principles are extracted by participants and reinforced by instructors.


Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 263
Author(s):  
Kamis Gaballah ◽  
Asmaa Faden ◽  
Fatima Jassem Fakih ◽  
Anfal Yousuf Alsaadi ◽  
Nadeen Faiz Noshi ◽  
...  

This study aimed to assess the ability of dental students and recent graduates to detect and recognize mucosal changes that are suggestive of oral cancer and potentially malignant disorders. In this cross-sectional study, a questionnaire was administered to dental students and recent graduates of Ajman University (n = 132). Completed questionnaires were received from 84 (63.6%) females and 48 (36.4%) males which included fifth-year students (n = 80), interns (n = 39), and dental practitioners (n = 13). This questionnaire was designed to assess the respondent’s ability to detect and recognize different types of oral lesions, as well as their knowledge of oral cancer appearance and malignancy potential. The overall accuracy of diagnosis was 46%. The participants correctly identified normal variations, benign tumors, malignant tumors, and premalignant lesions at rates of 60.3%, 31.0%, 55.7%, and 33.4%, respectively. There was no significant difference between the two genders in their ability to recognize and detect correct answers (females, 48.3%; males, 47.2%). According to education level, interns provided the highest percentage of correct answers (52.5%), followed by newly dental practitioners (51.9%) and fifth-year students (44.1%). Conclusion: The respondents of this survey did not exhibit a satisfactory diagnostic capability in recognizing mucosal changes consistent with the clinical presentation of oral cancer. Thus, a need exists for improved and updated educational methods for undergraduate students regarding oral cancer and potentially malignant disorders. Meanwhile, practitioners should look for oral abnormalities to provide better diagnosis and management. Practitioners should also stay up to date on the oral malignancy topic by attending workshops and clinicopathological conferences.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document