Evaluation of knowledge toward oral cancer and treatment complications among general dentists of babol, iran (2015)

Introduction: Oral cancer is the most common malignancy in head and neck region. Primary diagnosis is critical and low knowledge of dentists can lead to improper or delayed diagnosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge of general dentists regarding oral cancer and the complications of its treatment in Babol, Iran. Materials &Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on all general dentists working in Babol. Seventy-six dentists entered into the study and filled out the questionnaire. Data were analyzed by SPSS software. Results: Mean score of knowledge in the group with more than 21-years-experience was      significantly higher than the group with less than 10-years-experience (p=0.017). There was a positive correlation between total knowledge and years of experience (p=0.001). There was no significant relationship between other criteria with total score of knowledge (p.0.05). Conclusion: It seems that knowledge the babol dentists’ regarding oral cancer and cancer treatment complications is not sufficient.