Evaluation of general dentists' knowledge about pre-cancerous oral lesions in Isfahan city in 2019

Background and Aims: Pre-cancerous lesions of the oral mucosa as important malformation need acceptable knowledge of dentists. The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge of Isfahan city general dentists about pre-cancerous lesions of oral cavity. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study based on validated questioner form was performed in 115 general dentists in Isfahan City in 2019, associated with sex and year of graduation from general dentistry course. The mean score was in the range from 0 to14. Data were recorded in Microsoft Excel and then analyzed by SPSS. In order to compare quantitative variables, independent T–Test, One-Way ANOVA and Mann-Whitney was used. P≤0.05 was considered as significant. Results: The mean age in the participants of: lower than 5 years, between 5-10 years, and more than 10 years of graduation were 28.6±4.9, 30.6±4.0 and 47.9±10 years old, respectively. In total population, the mean score of knowledge was 5.97±2.79. There was not any significant difference between the mean score of knowledge in women when compared to men (5.96±2.99 versus 5.98±2.6; P=0.58). The mean knowledge score in the participants of: lower than 5 years, between 5-10 years, and more than 10 years, of graduation were as follow: 7.8±2.2 versus 5.8±2.9 versus 4.4±2.1, correspondingly (P≤0.05). Conclusion: For the early diagnosis of pre-cancerous lesions of the oral cavity, retraining program based on oral cavity pathology courses is recommended for the dentists in Isfahan city.