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Oral Cancer: Awareness and Knowledge Among Dental Patients in Riyadh

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Abstract

More than 50 % of oral cancer cases are diagnosed at advanced stages. Public knowledge about oral cancer can help in prevention and early detection of the disease. The aim of the present study was to assess the levels of awareness and knowledge about signs and risk factors of oral cancer among dental patients in Saudi Arabia. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information from 1410 randomly selected patients attending dental departments within public hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software. The significance level was set at P < 0.05. The study revealed that only 62.4 % were aware of oral cancer. Some 68.2 and 56.5 %, respectively, were able to correctly identify tobacco and alcohol as risk factors. More than two thirds of subjects had no knowledge about any signs of oral cancer. Participants with lower than university education were significantly less aware, and had much less knowledge, of the signs and risk factors of oral cancer. The knowledge regarding oral cancer among Saudi dental patients is alarmingly low. Interventions to improve public knowledge about oral cancer and attitudes towards early diagnosis and treatment are urgently indicated.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to express their warm gratitude to all subjects, who agreed to participate in the study. We would like also to thank all hospitals staff or their support and help in conducting this survey.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Sciences, AL-Farabi Colleges of Dentistry and Nursing, 11691, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Sadeq Ali Al-Maweri, Esam Dhaifullah & Bassel Tarakji

  2. Department of Oral Medicine and Diagnosis, Faculty of Dentistry, Sana’a University, Sana’a, Yemen

    Sadeq Ali Al-Maweri & Esam Saleh Halboub

  3. Department of Health Policy and Administration, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA

    Walid Ahmed Al-Soneidar

  4. Department of Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, Sana’a University, Sana’a, Yemen

    Esam Dhaifullah

Authors
  1. Sadeq Ali Al-Maweri
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  2. Walid Ahmed Al-Soneidar
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  3. Esam Dhaifullah
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  4. Esam Saleh Halboub
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  5. Bassel Tarakji
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Correspondence to Sadeq Ali Al-Maweri.

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Al-Maweri, S.A., Al-Soneidar, W.A., Dhaifullah, E. et al. Oral Cancer: Awareness and Knowledge Among Dental Patients in Riyadh. J Canc Educ 32, 308–313 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-015-0924-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-015-0924-y

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