Orthodontics, Medical Education, Orthodontics Department, School of Dentistry, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Private Practice, Kerman, Iran.
BMC Med Educ. 2024 Jul 19;24(1):776. doi: 10.1186/s12909-024-05728-0.
The dentist's central role in treating head and neck cancer patients is to care for the patient's oral cavity before, during, and after radio/chemotherapy. This research aimed to determine dental students' knowledge about head and neck cancer patients' dental care.
One hundred and four fifth and sixth-year dental students participated in this cross-sectional descriptive study. The data collection tool was a questionnaire that collected demographic information (gender, year of study) and four questions consisting of attendance to courses or workshops, passing a dedicated course at the university, willing to participate in a course or workshop on the treatment of head and neck cancer patients and self-evaluating information about the treatment of head and neck cancer patients. Final part 36 questions about oral and dental care for head and neck cancer patients before, after, and during treatment. The data were analyzed with SPSS 26 statistical software and using t-tests, ANOVA, and linear regression at the 0.05 significance level.
Most of the participants were in their sixth year (48.9%). A total of 48.1% of the people reported that their information about dental treatments in patients with head and neck cancer was bad. 85% of participants agreed with the necessity of evaluating the patient's mouth and teeth before starting the treatment. The lowest percentage of correct answers was related to the ideal duration of tooth extraction and a poor prognosis before the start of cancer treatment. The regression analysis revealed a significant relationship between years of education, willingness to participate in courses, and students' knowledge evaluation and knowledge.
The findings showed that students' awareness of oral and dental treatment and care for patients with head and neck cancer is insufficient. It is recommended that teaching staff pay more attention to the lack of knowledge and effort to educate students by holding special courses and workshops.
牙医在治疗头颈部癌症患者中的核心作用是在放化疗前后照顾患者的口腔。本研究旨在确定牙科学生对头颈部癌症患者口腔护理的了解程度。
104 名五年级和六年级的牙科学生参与了这项横断面描述性研究。数据收集工具是一份问卷，收集了人口统计学信息（性别、学习年限）和四个问题，包括参加课程或研讨会、在大学通过专门课程、愿意参加头颈部癌症患者治疗课程以及自我评估头颈部癌症患者治疗信息。最后一部分是 36 个关于治疗前、治疗中和治疗后头颈部癌症患者口腔和牙齿护理的问题。使用 SPSS 26 统计软件对数据进行分析，并在 0.05 显著性水平下使用 t 检验、方差分析和线性回归。
大多数参与者处于第六年（48.9%）。共有 48.1%的人报告说，他们对头颈部癌症患者牙科治疗的信息较差。85%的参与者同意在开始治疗前评估患者的口腔和牙齿的必要性。答对率最低的问题与癌症治疗前拔牙的理想时间和预后较差有关。回归分析显示，教育年限、参加课程的意愿以及学生的知识评估和知识之间存在显著关系。
研究结果表明，学生对头颈部癌症患者口腔和牙齿治疗和护理的认识不足。建议教师通过举办专门的课程和研讨会，更多地关注学生知识的不足，并努力教育学生。
