Perception and outcome of oral cancer awareness among clinical undergraduate dental students of Tertiary health care centre at Kanpur city: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: The International Agency for Research on Cancer has predicted that India's incidence of cancer will increase from 1 million in 2012 to more than 1.7 million in 2035. Lack of knowledge about oral cancer among general dental practitioners leads to delay in the diagnosis and treatment of such lesions. The aim of the present study was to investigate the awareness and knowledge of prevention and early diagnosis of oral cancer among dental undergraduate students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted. A total of 139 undergraduate students who received teaching on oral diseases including oral cancer in their clinical postings in the department of oral medicine and radiology were included in the study. All the students were subjected to evaluation using structured questionnaires with multiple choices. Data collected were subjected to statistical analysis using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 18. Chi-square test was done to evaluate the statistical significance. RESULTS: The present study showed that the participants had average awareness and knowledge of oral cancer and its clinical presentations. The awareness and knowledge toward oral cancer protocols revealed a decreasing trend from final-year students to 3(rd)-year and interns. Nearly 66.2% of the undergraduates felt less well informed regarding oral cancer. All the undergraduates (100%) requested further information about oral cancer. CONCLUSION: The present study concluded that knowledge and awareness of undergraduate dental students with respect to early detection and prevention of oral cancer was satisfactory. It is recommended that the syllabus of dental courses should be expanded to provide knowledge regarding the prevention and early diagnosis of oral cancer.