Abstract
BACKGROUND
The incidence of human papillomavirus (HPV) related oral cancer is increasing globally. This study was carried out with an aim to assess the knowledge and awareness of oral cancer and its risk factors among medical and dental students in Saudi Arabia.
METHODS
This cross-sectional study was conducted in Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia, between April and May 2020. A questionnaire was distributed among 343 male and female dental and medical students, who were selected by simple random sampling. Questionnaire was distributed to determine their awareness and knowledge about oral cancer and its risk factors. Their responses were analysed using SPSS version 22 software.
RESULTS
Three hundred and forty-three completed questionnaires were available for analysis. Seventy percent of the respondents were males, 47 % were dental students, and 53 % were medical students. Most (84 %) of respondents agreed strongly that smoking is a risk factor for oral cancer; 70 % agreed strongly that chewing powdered tobacco products like gutka was another risk factor. However, only 25 % of students were aware that HPV could cause oral cancer. Overall, 53 % of students had moderate knowledge, 12 % had good knowledge, 29 % had poor knowledge, and 6 % had no knowledge that HPV was a risk factor. Gender had no effect on depth of knowledge. However, medical students were more knowledgeable about HPV related oral cancer than were dental students.
CONCLUSIONS
Dental and medical students at Majmaah University were not sufficiently informed about oral cancer or the relationship between HPV and oral cancer. Awareness courses and modification of the curriculum to include the risk factors for oral cancer, particularly the relationship between HPV and oral cancer, are recommended.