Oral cancer screening experiences, practices and beliefs of prosthodontists in Saudi Arabia: A survey study

Abstract Background: Age is known to be a risk factor for oral cancer; older patients visit prosthodontists very regularly, so the prosthodontists may help in the prevention and early detection of any suspicious mucosal alteration in this high-risk group. The aim of this study was to assess the beliefs, experiences and practices of prosthodontists regarding oral cancer screening. Method: A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey was conducted on prosthodontists practicing in Saudi Arabia. A 26-item questionnaire was sent to all eligible prosthodontists (n=250). The collected data was analyzed using SPSS 21.0. Results: The response rate was 57.2% (n=143). The majority of participants (79.70%) reported that they routinely examine all new patients for mucosal pathologies. However, only 58% reported that they examine their patients at recall visits, and only 61.5% stated that they provide tobacco cessation advice. With regard to the respondents experiences with suspicious mucosal lesions, the majority said that they had detected a suspicious lesion (79.9%) and had referred affected patients (83.2 %) during their career. Unfortunately, just 65% of prosthodontists believed that they could detect oral cancer on their own, and only 40% believed that they could influence their patients to quit smoking. A lack of training, confidence, time and financial incentives were reported as barriers to oral cancer screening. Conclusion: Most of the prosthostontists surveyed in this study seem motivated to perform routine oral mucosal screening. However, more efforts are needed to help improve the attidtudes, confidence and skills of prosthodontists when it comes to identifying and referring suspicious oral mucosal lesions.