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CONHECIMENTO DOS CIRURGIÕES DENTISTAS EM RELAÇÃO AO CÂNCER DE BOCA

2015; FACULDADE DE MEDICINA DE SÃO JOSÉ DO RIO PRETO; Volume: 22; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.17696/2318-3691.22.2.2015.142

2318-3691

Saygo Tomo, Eryca Carvalho Mainardi, Nagib Pezati Boer, Luciana Estevam Simonato,

Head and Neck Cancer Studies

Introduction: Due to the low rate of cure and survival from oral cancer, it is crucial to make an early diagnose of this disease. Objective: To evaluate the extent of the dental surgeons’ knowledge regarding oral cancer. Patients and Methods: A group of dental surgeons performing clinical practice activity in the city of Fernandopolis, Sao Paulo State, Brazil answered a structured questionnaire. Results: Of the 124 questionnaires distributed, the return rate was 31.5% (n=39). Most of the respondents 51.3% (n=20) were women. Of the total sample, 48.7% (n=19) of the dental surgeons stated to refer the patient with injury suspected of malignancies to a specialized dentist. Of the respondents, 82.1% (n=32) reported that squamous cell carcinoma was the most common malignancy in the oral cavity, and 49.7% (n=19) implicitly acknowledged the tongue as the most commonly affected anatomical structure by oral cancer. Most of the dental surgeons 76.9% (n=30) pointed the painless ulcer as the initial clinical feature of the oral cancer, while 74.4% (n=29) considered the leukoplakia as the most likely lesion to evolve with malignancy. All the participants correctly attributed the occurrence of oral cancer to smoking habit, and 97.4% (n=38) related the lesion to alcoholism. Conclusion: The dental surgeons’ knowledge regarding oral cancer was considered satisfactory, especially regarding the clinical diagnosis of the disease. Nevertheless, it is still necessary to work on the awareness of this group of professionals regarding this malignancy.