ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, AND PRACTICES REGARDING ORAL CANCER AWARENESS AMONG DENTISTS IN PESHAWAR PAKISTAN

Abstract

Introduction

Globally, oral  cancer  is emerging as an essential  health issue for the public.It‘s a crippling illness that can significantly impair a quality of life for patients by affecting it’s emotional, functional, and economical well-being.Oral cancer is the 13th  most common disease globally, with estimated 377,713 new cases and 177,757 fatalities in 2020.

Objective

To assess the level of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Regarding Oral Cancer Awareness among Dentists in Peshawar Pakistan.

Material and Methods

A cross-sectional  Descriptive study has been applied among Dentists in different teaching hospitals in Peshawar pakistan. The survey was answered by a total of 235 dentists. The predesigned questionnaire was used for this study.The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 24.

Result

Although 99.1% being aware of oral cancer, only 64.3% accurately determined that it might emerge without any initial symptoms, indicating a severe knowledge gap in early detection.   Only 61.7% of participants said they routinely checked patients for symptoms of oral cancer. In linear regression analysis years of experience were found to substantially predict higher knowledge scores (β = 2.073, p < 0.001), showing the importance of practical exposure in raising awareness of oral cancer.

Conclusion

The finding showed that dentists with two years of experience displayed much greater knowledge and confidence than those with only one year. Attitudes toward diagnosing oral cancer were moderate, while preventive practices, such as routine oral cancer screening and lymph node check, were not universally followed, with approximately 38% of respondents failing to take these critical steps, indicating a knowledge-practice gap.