Awareness About Vinca Alkaloids Among Dental Students

Cancer is considered to be one of the major threats throughout the world. Treatment for cancer involves chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgeries. Different groups of drugs are used for chemotherapy. One group of chemotherapeutic agents are vinca alkaloids. They are substances obtained from the Madagascar periwinkle plant. They are naturally occurring or semi synthetic nitrogenous bases extracted from the pink periwinkle plant Catharanthusroseus. They are known to have hypoglycemic activity and cytotoxic effects, hence proved to be an effective chemotherapeutic agent. A questionnaire about vinca alkaloids, its types, it's uses, and clinical scenario was administered to a group of dentists. The questionnaire had a set of questions and corresponding options, the participants had to choose one among the options. The questions were simple and easy. The results obtained were collected and tabulated. The participants were of equal ratio with 50 male and 50 female participants. Proper training and conferences should be conducted to improve their knowledge.