Knowledge, attitude and practice of general physicians in relation with oral malignancies

Abstract Background: In spite of recent advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment, the prognosis of oral cancer has been unchanged. The knowledge, attitude and practice of general practitioners play a significant role in the early diagnosis and overall prognosis of oral cancer. Objective: The purpose of this study was evaluation of the physicians’ knowledge, attitude and practice in relation with oral cancers. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 100 physicians participating in two continuing educational programs in 2001 (rheumatology in Karaj and pediatric emergencies in Qazvin) were selected randomly and a questionnaire consisting of 4 different parts was prepared and completed by each case. Findings: Most of the cases (56%) had a moderate level of knowledge about the different aspects of the disease which showed no relation with age, sex, date and place of graduation and clinical experiences. 46.3% and 81.8% respectively believed that diagnosis and treatment of oral lesions are limited to ENT speciality. The majority of cases believed that the level of educational contents in medical courses, workshops, congresses as well as their personal knowledge was low and insufficient. 85.9% of physicians did not perform oral cancer examinations for their patients. Conclusion: With regard to the referral of a large group of oral cancer patients to physicians, and the lack of proper knowledge and attention in this group, increasing public information as well as improving physicians’ knowledge and attitudes toward the disease seems mandatory.