Oral cancer and the importance of the dental surgeon for early diagnosis (original) (raw)
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Brazilian Journal of Development, 2021
Introduction: As one of the most common human malignancies, oral and oropharyngeal cancer represents a challenge in global public health. Objective: To describe the lesions diagnosed during an oral cancer prevention campaign carried out in Fernandópolis, Brazil, in 2018. Material and methods: Patients treated at the basic health units in Fernandópolis on the day of the campaign were examined by a previously trained dentist who looked for suggestive oral lesions with malignant potential. Patients with suspicious lesions were scheduled for re-evaluation by an oral disease specialist to obtain the correct diagnosis of the lesion. Results: 956 patients were examined during the campaign. Among them, 75 (7.84%) were referred, however, 66 (88%) attended for reassessment and proper diagnostic management by the dentist specializing in oral diseases. Were diagnosed 59 benign oral lesions and 23 variations from normality, no patient was diagnosed with malignant oral lesion. Conclusion: The absence of a diagnosis of oral cancer during the campaign suggests the need to reassess its methodology, aiming to reach a target audience with a higher risk of carrying oral lesions that lead to malignant manifestations. It is also noteworthy that health professionals need better training to clinically recognize lesions suggestive of oral cancer.
Evaluation of the Diagnosis Process in a Group of Oral Cancer Patients of Southeast Brazil
Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology and Oral Radiology, 2017
region, regarding the oral lesions. Being a typical rural region with high levels of solar radiation, large population of smokers and drinkers, the oral lesions more prevalent are associated with exposure cited as cheilitis, inflammatory hyperplasia, leukoplakia and various carcinomas. The survey will serve for planning actions aimed at preventing the most prevalent injuries, promotion activities and early detection by the professionals of oral health teams.
Oral Lesions Diagnosed during Oral Cancer Prevention Campaign in Fernandópolis, Brazil, 2015
World Journal of Dentistry, 2015
Background To describe oral lesions diagnosed during oral cancer prevention campaign performed in Fernandópolis, Brazil, in 2015. Materials and methods Patients who attended for the Basic Health Units of the city of Fernandópolis on the day of the campaign were examined by dental surgeons who searched for oral lesions clinically suggestive for oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) or potentially malignant lesions. Final diagnosis was obtained by a re-evaluation of patients with suspicious lesions performed by an expert in oral diseases. Results Seven hundred and sixty-two patients were examined during the campaign; although 96 (12.59%) presented with oral suspicious lesions and forwarded for re-evaluation, only 72 (9.44%) attended for re-evaluation and got the final diagnosis. Among re-evaluated patients, only 1 (1.38%) was diagnosed with oral SCC, whereas 56 (77.77%) were diagnosed with oral benign lesions, and 19 (26.38%) were diagnosed with oral normality variations. Conclusion Oral...
Stomatologija / issued by public institution "Odontologijos studija" ... [et al.], 2013
Oral cancer is a public health problem responsible for 13% of deaths worldwide in 2008 and screening programs can be useful to detect individuals more vulnerable to the disease, improving its prognosis. The aim of the present study was to evaluate oral cancer calibration (in lux and in vivo methodologies) and diagnosis processes performed by dental surgeons (DSs) of the public health system in São Paulo, Brazil. Thirty-three oral cancer photographs were examined during in lux calibration, while 560 individuals were examined during in vivo calibration. Oral conditions were coded as "0 - sound tissues", "1 - buccal lesions without malignant potential" and…
Clinical Oral Investigations, 2003
The ability to diagnose oral cancer depends in part on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the health professional. On the other hand, the patients' choice of health professional depends on their perceptions of the ability of such professionals to diagnose and treat what they believe their health problem is. In this study, we investigated the clinical profiles of patients with oral cancer (n=354) when first seen by dentists (n=129) or physicians (n=225) in a teaching hospital. The charts of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma were analyzed for the following variables: age, sex, race, signs and symptoms by the time of presentation to the health professional, size and site of the tumor since first manifestation, and clinical stage of the disease. Our results demonstrate that dentists and physicians assessed patients comparably regarding age, sex, and race. Patients complaining of dysphagia and odynophagia were seen more often by physicians than dentists (45/225 vs 9/129 [20.0% vs 7.0%] and 30/225 vs 4/129 [13.3% vs 3.1%], respectively), whereas those with local pain and burning preferentially sought dentists (77/129 vs 56/225 [59.7% vs 24.9%] and 4/129 [3.1%] vs 0/225, respectively). Physicians diagnosed oropharyngeal (45/208 vs 9/116 [21.6% vs 7.8%]) and lip lesions (71/208 vs 7/116 [34.1% vs 6.0%]) more often, whereas dentists saw more cases of cancer of the alveolar ridge (42/116 vs 7/208 [36.2% vs 3.4%]) and floor of the mouth (19/116 vs 10/208 [16.4% vs 4.8%]). Our findings suggest that patients have different perceptions of the roles of dentists and physicians regarding the ability to diagnose and treat oral lesions. Signs, symptoms, and location of the cancer lesions appear to be the most important variables associated with the choice of health professional.
Oral Cancer Detection: A Comparative Study In Argentina
2013
Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma has a low survival rate, 34 to 66% five-year survival after initial diagnosis, due to late diagnosis. Objetives: The aim of the present study was to examine the clinical features and evolution of oral cancer in the University of Buenos Aires. Study design: 274 patients with primary oral carcinoma, over the 1992-2000 period were included in the study. Results: The survival rate of this population was 80% at 12 months, 60% at 24 months, 46% at 36 months, 40% at 48 months, and 39 % at 60 months (5 years). The tumor localizations with worse prognosis were floor of mouth and tongue, with survival rates of 19% and 27% respectively. Sixty-five percent of the oral carcinomas evaluated were diagnosed at advanced stages (III and IV). Conclusions: The patients under study exhibited the lowest survival rate described for oral cancer (34% five-year survival after initial diagnosis). The population included in this study can be considered representative of the Argentine population. This bad prognosis would be mainly due to the large number of oral cancer cases that were diagnosed at advanced stages.
Early detection of oral cancer: a key role for dentists?
Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology, 2022
Purpose The majority of suspected malignant changes in the oral mucosa are detected by dentists in private practice. Statements regarding the effectiveness of visual examination of the oral cavity for early detection are not necessarily transferable between different health care systems. Our clinical-epidemiological and methodological aim was thus to conduct a prospective regional study in dental practices under everyday conditions, assess the frequency and type of oral mucosal changes, and evaluate the dental examination methodology. Methods A prospective observational study was conducted, combining a feasibility study of early detection of oral cancer and its documentation with phase I ‘modelling’ to conceptualize complex interventions in health services research. Dentists in private practice continuously recruited patients over 6 months and used two different sheets for the documentation of suspicious lesions. Statistical analysis involved descriptive statistics and tests for dif...
Journal of Public Health, 2019
Aim To perform an epidemiological and clinical analysis of cases of oral cancer (OC) and potentially malignant disorders (PMDs). Subjects and methods This retrospective study was based on the analysis of data from 631 patients who attended a clinic of the Interdisciplinary League of Oral Cancer (LINCCO) of a public university of northeastern Brazil over a time period of 12 years. Sociodemographic, economic, and clinical variables were investigated. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate statistical analyses using Poisson regression were performed. Results During the analyzed period, 19.3% (n = 122) of cases were related to diagnoses of some type of OC or PMDs. The majority of patients were male (60.7%) and in the fifth (22.0%) or sixth (23.7%) decades of life. The reported smoking and alcohol consumption were 27.0% and 27.9%, respectively. The most prevalent lesions were actinic cheilitis (48.4%) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (23.8%). The most affected anatomical region was the lower lip (45.1%). The prevalence of smoking was higher among those who presented with OC [prevalence ratio (PR) = 2.56, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.54-4.24, p < 0.001)] compared to those who presented with a PMD. Conclusion Public health managers and the scientific community should continue to direct efforts to raise public awareness about protective and preventive measures for OC and PMDs, including early diagnosis and frequent visits to the dentist. Otherwise, the rates of these injuries may continue to grow exponentially, significantly impacting the health indicators of the population.
Medicina oral, patología oral y cirugía bucal, 2007
One of the most important objectives of a public health service is early diagnosis of disease, which provides a better prognosis and reduction in treatment cost. We investigated the delay for diagnosis and treatment of oral cancer in a public hospital. One hundred eighty records of patients who attended for their first consultation in the department of head and neck surgery in a public hospital from Belo Horizonte-Brazil, between the period from 1 January 1999 to 31 December 2001 were analysed. The following variables were analyzed: gender, age, evolution time (ET), time elapsed from referral to hospital and first appointment (RT), time elapsed from first appointment and treatment (TT), total time elapsed from first noticing the lesion and starting treatment (TTE), sites and staging. Results for males and females were, respectively: mean age = 57.9 and 60.8 years; ET= 169.4 and 215.4 days; RT = 27.9 and 40.6 days; TT = 40.9 and 44.9 days; TTE = 207.9 and 263.8 days. No correlation w...
Dentists' perception of the Role they play in early detection of oral cancer
Background: Dentists are typically the first professionals who are approached to treat ailments within the oral cavity. Therefore they should be well-equipped in detecting suspicious lesions during routine clinical practice. This study determined the levels of knowledge on early signs and risk factors associated with oral cancer and identified which factors influenced dentist participation in prevention and early detection of oral cancer. Materials and Methods: A survey on dentists' knowledge and their practices in prevention and early detection of oral cancer was conducted using a 26-item self-administered questionnaire. Results and Conclusions: A response rate of 41.7% was achieved. The level of knowledge on early signs and risk habits associated with oral cancer was high and the majority reported to have conducted opportunistic screening and advised patients on risk habit cessation. Factors that influenced the dentist in practising prevention and early detection of oral cancer were continuous education on oral cancer, age, nature of practice and recent graduation. Notably, dentists were receptive to further training in the area of oral cancer detection and cessation of risk habits. Taken together, the study demonstrated that the dental clinic is a good avenue to conduct programs on opportunistic screening, and continuous education in these areas is necessary to adequately equip dentists in running these programs. Further, this study also highlighted knowledge deficits and practice shortcomings which will help in planning and developing programs that further encourage better participation of dentists in prevention and early detection of oral cancer.