Knowledge, opinions and practices of general dentists regarding oral cancer: a pilot survey.

The authors mailed a pilot survey to 500 randomly selected general dentists. Although most dentists reported their knowledge of oral cancer to be current, their actual knowledge of oral cancer risk factors and signs and symptoms was inconsistent. Conflicting data were also found between their level of knowledge and their provision of oral cancer examinations. Most respondents agreed that patients should undergo an oral cancer examination annually, yet many do not provide this service.