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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Indian J Med Paediatr Oncol 2017; 38(02): 133-139
DOI: 10.4103/ijmpo.ijmpo_107_16
Original Article

A Cross-sectional Survey Assessing Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Regarding Oral Cancer among Private Medical and Dental Practitioners in Bhubaneswar City

Avinash Jnaneswar
Department of Public Health, Dentistry, Kalinga Institute of Dental Sciences, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
,
Bala Subramanya Goutham
Department of Public Health, Dentistry, Kalinga Institute of Dental Sciences, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
,
Jayashree Pathi
Department of Public Health, Dentistry, Kalinga Institute of Dental Sciences, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
,
Kunal Jha
Department of Public Health, Dentistry, Kalinga Institute of Dental Sciences, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
,
Vinay Suresan
Department of Public Health, Dentistry, Kalinga Institute of Dental Sciences, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
,
Gunjan Kumar
Department of Public Health, Dentistry, Kalinga Institute of Dental Sciences, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
› Author Affiliations Financial support and sponsorship Nil.
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Abstract

Introduction: Oral cancer is a public health problem giving rise to a great number of disabilities and deaths, but the possibility of survival is astonishingly higher when detected early. Health professionals therefore have an important role and responsibility in the prevention and early detection of oral cancer. They should be in a position to identify all suspicious lesions and to search for specialist opinion as promptly as possible when unsure, while also referring to the most appropriate discipline. Aim: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAPs) regarding oral cancer among private medical practitioners (MPs) and private dental practitioners (DPs). Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted among 334 MPs and 201 DPs in Bhubaneswar. A self-designed, close-ended questionnaire containing 28 items was delivered to the practitioners in their clinics. Correlation between KAP among MPs and DPs was done by Karl Pearson's correlation coefficient test. Student's t-test was used to compare the KAP among the practitioners. Results: Of the 535 practitioners approached, 513 filled the questionnaire with a response rate of 95.88%. Significantly, the mean knowledge index was higher among DPs (10.96 ± 1.85). The attitude index was higher in the MPs (6.89 ± 1.11), and the practice index was higher among the DPs (4.95 ± 0.91). Conclusion: The study puts forward the need of further training for both MPs and DPs to increase awareness and to strengthen their abilities to diagnose potentially cancerous intra-oral lesions.

Keywords

Dental practitioners - early detection - medical practitioners - oral cancer

Supplementary Material



Publication History

Article published online:
06 July 2021

© 2017. Indian Society of Medical and Paediatric Oncology. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.)

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