Awareness and Application of Preventive Technologies for the Early Detection of Head and Neck Cancer by Dentists and Primary Care Physicians

Le résumé fourni par la source

The aim. To assess the awareness and application of basic preventive technologies for head and neck cancer (HNC) early detection in the practice of dentists and primary care physicians (PCPs). Materials and methods. There were interviewed 233 dentists and 66 primary care physicians. Results. Only one in five PCPs (19.7% vs. 59.7% of dentists) conducts a full examination of the head and neck area for each patient visit. However, the technical quality of their examinations is characterized by greater oncological vigilance compared to dentists, who primary focus on the teeth condition (83.7% vs. 45.0% of PCPs) and much less often assess the oral mucosa (18.5% vs. 95.5%, respectively) or palpate the lymph nodes (6.9% vs. 83 .3%). The dentists are less aware of the benefits of screening for HNC (16.3% vs. 42.4% of PCPs) and the possibility of it being carried out by other doctors, in particular PCPs (14.2% vs. 72.7% of interviewed PCPs) or otorhinolaryngologists (25.3% vs. 50.0%). They overestimate the role of oncologists (45.9% vs. 16.7%), do not have sufficient knowledge about the risk factors of cancer, namely papillomavirus infection (30.0 % vs. 36.4%), alcohol abuse (62.2% vs. 36.4%), heredity (41.2% vs. 24.2%). However, they also acknowledge their own lack of awareness in the prevention of HNC (20.6% and 13.6%). It has been shown that identified informational and organizational deficiencies can lead to improper detection of oncological and precancerous diseases of head and neck area: 43.3% of dentists and 30.3% of PCPs not encounter such cases in their practice. Conclusions. It is necessary to improve the organization of early detection of HNC, taking into account the established gaps in awareness and the deficiencies of the usage of preventive technologies in the activities of dentists and PCPs.

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