A survey of Scottish primary care dental practitioners' oral cancer-related practices and training requirements

Objective The study sought to investigate current examination habits and pr eventive practices of Scottish dental primary care professionals, with resp ect to oral cancer, and to determine any training needs of these: practitio ners in relation to the disease. Basic Research design A questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 331 general dental practitioners and community d ental officers throughout Scotland, achieving an overall response rate of 6 8%. Main outcome measures The study investigated examination and health pro motion practices in relation to oral cancer. Confidence in, and barriers to , participating in these activities were studied, and information sought bo th on past training and future education needs regarding oral cancer. Resul ts Although 58% of respondents reported examining regularly for signs of or al cancer in those aged >16 years, 63% indicated they felt less than confid ent in detecting oral cancer, with only 43% expressing confidence about dis cussing suspicious findings with patients. Practitioners were well aware of the importance of smoking and alcohol as risk factors, bur had mixed views on the health-promoting role of the dentist regarding these issues. Furthe rmore, while only 3% reported training on these topics, over half expressed a desire to develop appropriate counselling skills. Overall, 87% and 79% o f respondents wanted further training in oral cancer detection and preventi on, respectively. Conclusion The study indicated a need for continuing educ ation programmes for dental primary care practitioners in oral cancer-relat ed activities. Postgraduate education, utilising a variety of media formats , should aim to improve diagnostic skills and seek to increase practitioner s' participation in both smoking and alcohol counselling.