Knowledge, attitude and practice in oral cancer: A national survey on 150 dental hygienists

Objective: The aim of this study is to explore knowledge, practice, and attitude on oral cancer (OC) among a cohort of Italian dental hygienists, in consideration of their role in the field of early diagnosis. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study of 150 Italian dental hygienists was performed to assess the participant's knowledge, practice, and attitude on OC. Data were collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire (through Google Forms). The questionnaire included four sections: sociodemographic information, disease knowledge, answers related to attitudes toward OC, and a questionnaire assessing the practice of dental hygienists on oral screening. Results: Responses were received from 137 participants (83 women and 54 men). Overall, there is a good knowledge of the real risk factors among the participants (98.5%, 98.5%, and 94.2% regard smoking, alcohol, and HPV, respectively). The analysis related to the knowledge of non-risk factors, oral potentially malignant disorders, and clinical features of OC showed more heterogeneous results. Only 60% considered university education to be adequate. The totality of dental hygienists considered continuing education necessary, but despite this, only half took updating courses. Finally, 90% performed intraoral screening visits, and 95% and 69% investigated smoking and alcohol consumption, respectively. Conclusions: Our data showed the need to implement OC training courses by re-evaluating pre- and post-graduate training programs.