Knowledge and Practice Regarding Oral Cancer: A Study Among Dentists in Jakarta, Indonesia

OBJECTIVE: To assess Indonesian dentists' knowledge of risk factors and diagnostic procedures related to oral cancer (OC) and to determine the factors that influenced their level of knowledge. METHODS: A modified version of a questionnaire that had been used to assess dentists’ knowledge regarding OC in Canada was used. A total of 816 dentists were invited to participate in the study. RESULTS: The total response rate was 49.2%; however, the number of dentists from 5 regions in Jakarta were equally represented. Use of tobacco or alcohol and history of previous OC were the top 3 risk factors that were answered correctly by dentists, but there was a high proportion of dentists who considered some without any evidence as risk factors. Almost half of the dentists did not know the early signs of OC and that erythroplakia and leukoplakia were associated with increased risks of developing OC. Only about 27% of dentists had a high level of knowledge of risk factors and fewer dentists demonstrated a good knowledge of diagnostic procedures. Dentists’ age group, year of graduation, and experience of continuing education significantly influenced the level of knowledge of diagnostic procedures (P < .05). CONCLUSION: Dentists in Jakarta had a considerable level of knowledge of major risk factors of OC, although some gaps in their knowledge, especially in diagnostic procedures, were present. Increasing these competencies may aid in the prevention and early detection of OC.