Informed or overwhelmed? Exploring patient attitudes toward oral cancer

Introduction: Our understanding of oral cancer and its associated risk factors has evolved considerably over the last decade. Research shows social and lifestyle factors can significantly influence a patient's risk status. Risk assessing every patient and providing tailored preventative advice is imperative.
Methodology: A questionnaire based evaluation was carried out involving 205 adult dental patients attending primary care centers in London and Portsmouth over a two-month period. After inter and intra personal standardisation steps were carried out, a pilot evaluation was completed and relevant changes made prior to final data collection. Patients’ awareness of their risk status of developing oral cancer and their knowledge on the associated risk factors were assessed.
Results: The results highlighted that only a small proportion of patients (26.8%) were aware of their risk status for oral cancer. In contrast, a significant majority (86.3%) believed they should have been informed of this by their dentist, as such knowledge could impact their lifestyle choices. More focus needs to be placed on improving awareness of smoking cessation services and advice, with only 36.6% of those who smoke having been asked or signposted to smoking cessation services by the dental team. There were similar results regarding the provision of alcohol advice, with only 41.8% being advised on reducing their alcohol intake.
Conclusion: With oral cancer cases on the rise globally, effective management relies heavily on early prevention and detection. This evaluation highlights a significant gap in patient awareness regarding their oral cancer risk status. Increasing patient education and ensuring dentists communicate risk factors clearly are essential steps toward improving early detection and encouraging healthier lifestyle choices. Enhanced awareness can ultimately lead to better outcomes and reduced incidence of advanced oral cancer cases