Turkish dental students' knowledge, attitudes, and awareness of oral cancer

Purpose This survey aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and awareness of dental students across multiple dental faculties in Turkey regarding oral cancer. Methods The survey instrument, derived from the questionnaire developed by Horowitz et al., was translated into Turkish and distributed to participants. The survey consisted of 27 questions assessing participants' practices regarding oral cancer examination, their evaluation of patient risk factors, and their perceptions of their educational preparedness. Statistical analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS V23. The Fisher-Freeman-Halton test and Pearson Chi-Square test were employed for categorical data comparisons, while multiple comparisons were analyzed with the Bonferroni-corrected Z test. A significance level of p < 0.05 was applied. Results The study enrolled a total of 603 dental students (239 males [39.6%] and 364 females [60.4%]) from 10 different dental faculties. Participants were distributed across three academic years, with 202 (33.5%) in the third grade, 280 (46.4%) in the fourth grade, and 121 (20.1%) in the fifth grade. The findings indicated that students demonstrated a high level of awareness regarding factors such as tobacco (98.7%), alcohol (82.9%), and ultraviolet (UV) exposure (94.5%). However, their knowledge appeared to be lacking in relation to other risk factors, including older age (74.9%) and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection (83.7%). Conclusion Overall, the study suggests that dental students in Turkey exhibit a moderate level of awareness concerning oral cancer. The outcomes of this investigation underscore the pressing need for enhancements in oral cancer education and training for undergraduate dental students. Furthermore, there is a visible need for the implementation of periodic, well-structured continuing professional development activities aimed at enhancing the oral cancer-related competencies of dental professionals in practice.