A Decade-Long Comparative Study of Awareness and Knowledge of Oral Cancer Among Cypriots: Implications for Health...

Oral cancer (OC) is a major health problem that is associated with high mortality and morbidity rates. Reducing diagnostic delay to achieve earlier detection is a cornerstone to improve survival and quality of life. Prevention and early detection are related to public awareness.

This study aimed to determine the awareness and knowledge of symptoms and signs of OC among Cypriots attending mobile dental clinics during an oral health campaign organized by the Public Dental Services (PDS) and the Clinic of The Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of the Nicosia General Hospital (NGH) and compare them with the results of a similar study that was conducted in 2012.

A cross-sectional study was conducted using an anonymous self-completed questionnaire, which was distributed to people visiting the mobile dental clinics in four major cities in Cyprus, during the preventive campaign for oral cancer, which took place in the first week of December 2021. Prior to their free oral examination and oral health advice, people were asked to fill out an anonymous questionnaire. The questionnaire included questions about socio-demographics, habits (smoking, alcohol consumption, visits to the dentists), plus knowledge and perceptions of OC. The results were compared with a similar study conducted in 2012 using the same questionnaire. The study was approved by the Bioethical Committee of Cyprus.

One hundred and seventy-two people completed the questionnaire. 73.8% (n= 127) of the respondents stated that they have already heard about OC compared with 53% in 2012 (p<0.01). 85.4 % (n=147) identified smoking as a risk factor, 57% (n=98) alcohol consumption, and 33.7% (n= 58) solar irradiation. 27.3% (n=47) thought that OC is hereditary, compared with 38.9% in 2012. Although 58.7% (n= 101) mentioned that they had heard about screening for OC, only 19.8% (n= 34) reported that they had been screened for OC by their dentist; this percentage was higher compared with the equivalent in 2012, which was 12% (p<0.01). In addition, 36.6% (n= 63) reported that in case of a wound/lesion of their oral mucosa, they would seek treatment from a dentist compared with 25.6% in 2012 (p<0.05). In both studies, a higher level of education and frequent visits to the dentists were positively related to increased knowledge of OC signs and risk factors and were more likely to receive preventive screening (p<0.05).

Although the results show an improvement in the level of knowledge among Cypriots regarding OC, still disparities exist among different socioeconomic groups, highlighting the need for oral health promotion and an holistic and multisectoral approach, which will enable people taking the necessary preventive measures but also will encourage frequent visits to dentists for a dental examination and screening for OC in order suspicious lesions to be referred to maxillofacial surgeons.