Knowledge and Screening Practices for Oral Cancers amongst General Dental Practitioners in Lagos, Nigeria

Oral cancer presents with both a high morbidity and mortality rate, and these reduce dramatically when disease is detected early. The dental profession has a very important role towards early detection, prompt referral and treatment. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire involving general dental practitioners (GDPs) in both government and private hospitals in Lagos, Nigeria. A total of 100 copies of the questionnaire were sent out to general dental practitioners in the state. Data were entered using SPSS 17.0 and presented both in descriptive and tabular forms. A total of 86 (86%) practitioners of the 100 returned the questionnaires sent to them. Although over 98% of respondents (85 of the 86 respondents) claimed they had a good knowledge of risk factors for oral cancers. Only 70% (61 respondents), 59% (51 respondents) and 55(64%) identified smokeless tobacco increasing age (above 40 years old) and dietary intake as risk factors respectively. Fifty (58.1%) and 46 (53.4%) respondents in the study claimed they were up to date in the assessment of oral cancers and in regular assessment of oral cavity of all new patients for oral cancers during their dental visits respectively. Four respondents in the study claimed they were not aware that early detection played a significant role in reducing both morbidity and mortality of oral cancers. These findings concerning dentists' knowledge and screening practices in relation to oral cancers suggest that both educational intervention and a paradigm shift in dentists' attitudes might be necessary for improvement in the early detection of oral cancers in this environment.