Assessing the Effectiveness of Web-Based Modules on Human Papillomavirus Among Dental and Dental Hygiene Students

Literature suggests that deficiencies among dental professional students in both knowledge and awareness of human papillomavirus (HPV) and its association with oropharyngeal cancers (OPC), as well as its risk factors implicating the prevalence of HPV, may be due to the lack of HPV-related education during professional schooling. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of an online learning tool to educate dental and dental hygiene students about HPV and its association with OPC, rapidly evolving disease patterns, and dental professionals' role in HPV-associated OPC prevention efforts. A three-section online learning module was developed to improve dental professionals' comfort levels with, and knowledge of, HPV. The participants were recruited to participate in surveys before and after the intervention. Descriptive statistics and chi-square analysis were computed to study the effectiveness of the modules in improving the knowledge of students about this topic. Pre-intervention survey participants totaled 142, and 107 participants answered the post-intervention survey. The majority of the study participants had some baseline understanding of HPV prior to accessing the modules. After reviewing the modules, there was a statistically significant increase in the proportion of respondents who identified OPC (p = 0.01), vaginal cancer (0.02), vulvar cancer (0.04), and penile cancer (0.01) as associated with HPV. A gap in the understanding of HPV vaccine-eligible groups was noted in almost half of the participants; while most participants could correctly identify that boys and girls aged 9-12 years were eligible to get the vaccine, the gap in knowledge in this regard was related to "25-year-old with an abnormal pap result." Due to the evolving nature of this topic, there is a need to find new and effective methods of disseminating HPV-related information among the existing and future dental workforce.