Primary care clinicians' knowledge of oral cancer: a study of dentists and doctors in the North East of England

Abstract

Objective: To compare the knowledge of oral cancer and related issues of general dental and general medical practitioners (GDPs and GMPs).

Design: A questionnaire was sent to 420 primary care clinicians, half to dentists and half to doctors. Responses to the questionnaire were analysed using odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Results: The response rate was 68.1% for GDPs and 71.9% for GMPs. Dental practitioners were significantly more likely to have diagnosed cases of oral cancer than medical practitioners (OR = 2.68, 95% CI 1.6,4.4). Important differences arose between the groups in terms of risk factor knowledge and clinical examination.

Conclusion: This study demonstrates that whilst the knowledge level of both groups is generally good, there are some discrepancies. These relate mainly to risk factor knowledge and clinical examination techniques.