Department of Dentistry, Oral Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Fernando Pessoa Canarias, Gran Canaria, Spain.
Department of Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Fernando Pessoa Canarias, Gran Canaria, Spain.
Sci Rep. 2023 Dec 22;13(1):22937. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-50323-w.
The dentist plays a crucial role in identifying oral lesions as it is their responsibility to conduct the clinical examination for diagnosing diseases in this anatomical region. Dentists should be able to perform simple oral biopsies when this procedure is necessary. However, several studies point out that dentists lack experience and perceive themselves incapable of performing biopsies. This analytical cross-sectional study aimed to assess participants' experiences and perceptions regarding a continuing education activity focused on the biopsy procedure. The secondary aim was to evaluate their ability to determine when a biopsy is indicated. The sample consisted of 228 individuals: 143 dentists and 85 undergraduate dental students who completed questionnaires related to a lecture held in May/2021, as part of the continuing educational activities of the "Red May" Project. Participants completed two questionnaires: the first assessed their experience and self-confidence in performing oral biopsies, whereas the second evaluated their capacity to define when the biopsy is indicated by means the evaluation of 10 clinical cases. The results reveal no significant difference in the percentage of correct answers between dental students and dentists. Regarding the frequency of performing the biopsy procedure, most respondents (69.7%) reported doing so rarely or never. Furthermore, while 31.6% of the participants stated that they perform biopsies depending on the case, 68.4% prefer to refer patients to specialists, such as professionals in Stomatology/Oral Medicine. These findings highlight limitations in the educational preparation of the study population concerning biopsy procedures, oral lesions, and their management. They also indicate a concerning tendency to overestimate knowledge in this area. Thus, this study emphasizes the importance of continuing education and underscores the need to revise academic curricula and provide complementary education for all dental professionals.
牙医在识别口腔病变方面起着至关重要的作用，因为他们有责任进行临床检查，以诊断该解剖区域的疾病。牙医在需要进行简单的口腔活检时，应能够进行操作。然而，有几项研究指出，牙医经验不足，认为自己无法进行活检。这项分析性横断面研究旨在评估参与者对专注于活检程序的继续教育活动的经验和看法。次要目的是评估他们判断何时需要进行活检的能力。该样本由 228 人组成：143 名牙医和 85 名本科牙科学生，他们完成了与 2021 年 5 月举行的讲座相关的问卷，作为“红五月”项目继续教育活动的一部分。参与者完成了两份问卷：第一份评估他们在进行口腔活检方面的经验和自信；第二份评估他们通过评估 10 个临床病例来确定何时需要活检的能力。结果显示，牙科学生和牙医的正确答案百分比没有显著差异。关于进行活检程序的频率，大多数受访者（69.7%）表示很少或从未进行过。此外，尽管 31.6%的参与者表示他们根据病例进行活检，但 68.4%的人更倾向于将患者转介给专家，如口腔颌面外科/口腔医学专业人员。这些发现突显了研究人群在活检程序、口腔病变及其管理方面的教育准备存在局限性。它们还表明了在该领域过度估计知识的令人担忧的趋势。因此，这项研究强调了继续教育的重要性，并强调需要修订学术课程并为所有牙科专业人员提供补充教育。
