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Oral Cancer Knowledge: A Survey Administered to Patients in Dental Departments at Large Italian Hospitals

Journal of Cancer Education volume 26, pages 505–509 (2011)Cite this article

Abstract

We assessed the oral cancer (OC) knowledge, including risk factors and clinical symptoms, among patients attending dental departments within Italian university hospitals. Two thousand and two hundred questionnaires were sent to four hospitals in order to assess patients' knowledge regarding clinical and epidemiological aspects of OC; OC knowledge was evaluated overall and stratified by oral cancer family history. Participants frequently identified cigarette smoking (87.8%) and heavy alcohol consumption (58.6%) as a risk factor for oral cancer, knew the clinical signs of OC (65–79% depending on the specific symptom) and reported that early detection was related to better prognosis of oral cancer (94%). Individuals with a positive family history for oral cancer were significantly more likely to identify risk factors for oral cancer correctly yet family history of OC did not affect smoking status. Less than 15% of patients reported having received OC counseling by a dentist or physician.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dr. Allan Hildesheim from the National Cancer Institute for comments on the manuscript.

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Affiliations

  1. Dental Clinic, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Milano, Via Beldiletto 1/3, 20142, Milan, Italy

    Alessandro Villa, Laura Strohmenger & Silvio Abati

  2. Infections and Immunoepidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, 6120 Executive Blvd, Rockville, MD, 20852, USA

    Alessandro Villa & Aimee R. Kreimer

  3. Department of Dentistry, Vita Salute University, San Raffaele Hospital. Via Olgettina, 60, 20132, Milan, Italy

    Massimo Pasi & Enrico Gherlone

  4. Dental Clinic Department of Oral and Maxillo-Facial Science, University of Rome La Sapienza, Viale Regina Elena, 287, 00161, Rome, Italy

    Antonella Polimeni

  5. Department of Dentistry, University of Messina, Messina, Italy

    Domenico Cicciù

  6. Policlinico Universitario, Torre Biologica, Via C. Valeria, 98125, Messina, Italy

    Domenico Cicciù

Authors
  1. Alessandro Villa
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  2. Aimee R. Kreimer
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  3. Massimo Pasi
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  4. Antonella Polimeni
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  5. Domenico Cicciù
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  6. Laura Strohmenger
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  7. Enrico Gherlone
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  8. Silvio Abati
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Correspondence to Alessandro Villa.

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Villa, A., Kreimer, A.R., Pasi, M. et al. Oral Cancer Knowledge: A Survey Administered to Patients in Dental Departments at Large Italian Hospitals. J Canc Educ 26, 505–509 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-010-0189-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-010-0189-4

Keywords

  • Oral cancer
  • Oral cancer knowledge
  • Risk factors