Knowledge, attitude and behavior about oral cancer, among a group of adult Jeddah population

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the current study was to assess the level of knowledge, opinion and practice regarding oral cancer [OC], among various sections of Jeddah general population, Saudi Arabia. A sample of 1.080 individuals answered a self-administered questionnaire that investigated three parts related to OC. [1] Knowledge [OCoccurrence, causes, clinical presentation, treatment, sources of information]; [2] Attitude [regular dental visit, capability of the dentist to screen for OC and curability of the disease]; [3] Behavior [OC check up and examination]. The collected data were analyzed and variable relations expressed considering the demographic data, medical status and smoking habit. Results showed that 47.8 percent of the respondents had never heard of OC existence, and most of the others did not know very much about it as reflected by the high percentage of "don't know" answers and incorrect responses. Results also indicated that the greater awareness of OC was among males compared and higher among highly educated individuals [P<0.05]. Television, books and journals as well as the dentist in descending order were the primary sources of the subjects' oral health information. Many participants [84.7 percent] tended to seek care regarding suspicious oral lesions from their dentist and the majority [91.1 percent] agreed that early OC is curable. Only 17.1 percent of the respondents visited dentist regularly every six month for check up and 2.1 percent of the respondents reported that they had OC examination. We concluded that there was extensive misinformation and a general lack of knowledge and positive attitude and behavior among the participants in this study regarding OC and that the best approaches to informing the public on OC prevention and early detection should be planned and is recommended