Yüksel İbrahim Burak, Bahrilli Serkan, Altındağ Ali
Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Dentomaxillofacial Radiology, Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya, Türkiye.
BMC Cancer. 2025 Mar 28;25(1):568. doi: 10.1186/s12885-025-13944-0.
This survey aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and awareness of dental students across multiple dental faculties in Turkey regarding oral cancer.
The survey instrument, derived from the questionnaire developed by Horowitz et al., was translated into Turkish and distributed to participants. The survey consisted of 27 questions assessing participants' practices regarding oral cancer examination, their evaluation of patient risk factors, and their perceptions of their educational preparedness. Statistical analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS V23. The Fisher-Freeman-Halton test and Pearson Chi-Square test were employed for categorical data comparisons, while multiple comparisons were analyzed with the Bonferroni-corrected Z test. A significance level of p < 0.05 was applied.
The study enrolled a total of 603 dental students (239 males [39.6%] and 364 females [60.4%]) from 10 different dental faculties. Participants were distributed across three academic years, with 202 (33.5%) in the third grade, 280 (46.4%) in the fourth grade, and 121 (20.1%) in the fifth grade. The findings indicated that students demonstrated a high level of awareness regarding factors such as tobacco (98.7%), alcohol (82.9%), and ultraviolet (UV) exposure (94.5%). However, their knowledge appeared to be lacking in relation to other risk factors, including older age (74.9%) and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection (83.7%).
Overall, the study suggests that dental students in Turkey exhibit a moderate level of awareness concerning oral cancer. The outcomes of this investigation underscore the pressing need for enhancements in oral cancer education and training for undergraduate dental students. Furthermore, there is a visible need for the implementation of periodic, well-structured continuing professional development activities aimed at enhancing the oral cancer-related competencies of dental professionals in practice.
本调查旨在评估土耳其多所牙科学院的牙科学生对口腔癌的知识、态度和认知情况。
该调查问卷源自霍洛维茨等人开发的问卷，并翻译成土耳其语后分发给参与者。该调查包括27个问题，评估参与者关于口腔癌检查的实践、对患者风险因素的评估以及对自身教育准备情况的认知。使用IBM SPSS V23进行统计分析。分类数据比较采用费舍尔-弗里曼-哈尔顿检验和皮尔逊卡方检验，多重比较则用经邦费罗尼校正的Z检验进行分析。采用p < 0.05的显著性水平。
该研究共招募了来自10所不同牙科学院的603名牙科学生（239名男性[39.6%]和364名女性[60.4%]）。参与者分布在三个学年，三年级有202名（33.5%），四年级有280名（46.4%），五年级有121名（20.1%）。研究结果表明，学生们对烟草（98.7%）、酒精（82.9%）和紫外线（UV）暴露（94.5%）等因素表现出较高的认知水平。然而，他们对其他风险因素的知识似乎有所欠缺，包括老年（74.9%）和人乳头瘤病毒（HPV）感染（83.7%）。
总体而言，该研究表明土耳其的牙科学生对口腔癌的认知水平中等。本次调查结果强调了加强本科牙科学生口腔癌教育和培训的迫切需求。此外，明显需要开展定期、结构合理的持续专业发展活动，以提高牙科专业人员在实践中与口腔癌相关的能力。
