Attitude and Practice towards Oral Cancer Prevention Held by Dentists in Belgaum City; A Cross-Sectional Study

Background It is estimated that, 9 million new cancer cases are diagnosed and over 4.5 million people die each year in the world. The estimated that 7 lakhs new cases of cancer and over 3.5 lakhs people die of cancer each year in India. Cancer is preceded by pre-malignant changes and early detection is possible through visual and tactile means. So the present study is conducted to assess the attitude and practice of dentists towards oral cancer prevention in Belgaum city. Objective To assess the attitude and practice regarding oral cancer prevention among dentists of Belgaum city. Methodology A cross sectional study was conducted among 140 dentists of Belgaum city, where dentists were selected purposively and their attitude and practice were assessed with the help of predesigned and pretested questionnaire. Results In the present study 56.4 % dentists agreed that they are adequately trained to examine patient for oral cancer. Among study participants, 75 % and 67.9 % agreed that they are adequately trained to provide tobacco and alcohol cessation education respectively.75.0 % and 58.6 % dentists routinely gave advice to patients regarding tobacco cessation and alcohol moderation, respectively.15.7 % dental practitioners said that they are not confident in talking about oral cancer with patients. Conclusion The findings concerning attitude and practice of dentist regarding oral cancer prevention suggest strongly that educational interventions and training for practitioners are necessary. We contend that an offering of continuing dental education programs would go a long way to enhance the prevention and early diagnosis of oral cancer.