Evaluation of dentists’ awareness, knowledge, and clinical practices regarding early-stage oral cancer lesions in Türkiye - A cross-sectional study

Q: What was the goal of the study?

To evaluate dentists’ awareness, knowledge, and clinical practices regarding early-stage oral cancer lesions, emphasizing diagnostic behavior, patient education, and referral approaches.

Q: How many dentists participated, and what tool was used?

A total of 263 dentists participated. The survey used a content-validated 36-item questionnaire covering demographics, examination habits, lesion-feature knowledge, biopsy practices, and educational experience.

Q: What major gaps were observed despite high awareness?

Routine oral cancer screenings and biopsy practices were limited, and many dentists preferred monitoring suspicious lesions instead of immediate referral, with insufficient routine examination of high-risk anatomical areas.

Sep 22, 2026

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This cross-sectional study evaluates dentists’ awareness, knowledge, and clinical practices regarding early-stage oral cancer lesions, focusing on diagnostic behavior, patient education, and referral approaches. A survey of 263 dentists from public and private institutions in Ankara, Türkiye, used a content-validated 36-item questionnaire covering demographics, examination habits, knowledge of lesion features, biopsy practices, and educational experience. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and Monte Carlo simulations assessed associations with professional characteristics. Despite high awareness, routine screening and biopsy practices were uncommon, and referral/monitoring differed. Results highlight training gaps and support for structured continuing education to improve early detection.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Background and public health relevance of oral cancer

Role of dentists in early detection and referral

Abstract

Study aim and design

Participants and questionnaire

Data analysis approach

Key findings and implications

OPEN ACCESS Citation: Behkar S, Golchini P, Kocamaz ÖF, Altundoğan S (2026) Evaluation of dentists’awareness, knowledge, and clinical practices regarding early-stage oral cancer lesions in Türkiye: A cross-sectional study. PLoS One 21(2): e0341849. [https://doi.org/10.1371/](https://doi.org/10.1371/)[ ](https://doi.org/10.1371/)[journal.pone.0341849](journal.pone.0341849) Editor: Muhammad Farooq Umer, King Faisal University, SAUDI ARABIA Received: August 7, 2025 Accepted: January 13, 2026 Published: February 19, 2026 Copyright: © 2026 Behkar et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Data availability statement: All relevant data are within the manuscript and its Supporting information files. Funding: The author(s) received no specific funding for this work. RESEARCH ARTICLE Evaluation of dentists’ awareness, knowledge, and clinical practices regarding early-stage oral cancer lesions in Türkiye: A cross-sectional study Sayna Behkar1, Paniz Golchini2, Ömer Faruk Kocamaz3*, Serpil Altundoğan3 1 Department of Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Health Sciences, Ankara, Turkey, 2 Department of Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Health Sciences, Ankara, Turkey, 3 Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey * [omerf.kocamaz@gmail.com](omerf.kocamaz@gmail.com) Abstract This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate dentists’ awareness, knowledge, and clinical practices regarding early-stage oral cancer lesions, with an emphasis on diagnostic behavior, patient education, and referral approaches. A total of 263 dentists from public and private institutions in Ankara, Türkiye, participated in the survey, which included a content-validated 36-item questionnaire covering demographic data, examination habits, knowledge of lesion features, biopsy practices, and educational experience. The data were analyzed via descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and Monte Carlo simulations to explore associations between professional characteristics and clinical behaviors. While 78% of the participants acknowledged the dentist’s role in reducing oral cancer mortality, only 17.5% reported performing routine oral cancer screenings. Biopsy practice was limited, with only 11% indicating that they had ever performed a biopsy, and 36.9% preferred to monitor lesions instead of referring them immediately. Experienced dentists were significantly more likely to examine their lymph nodes (p = 0.006) and conduct routine screenings (p < 0.001) . Although tobacco and alcohol use are widely recognized as risk factors, only 27.7% of the participants routinely examined high-risk anatomical areas. Patient education was reported by 92.4% of the participants, but brochures and visual aids were rarely used. Fewer than one-third of the participants rated their undergraduate training on oral cancer as sufficient, and most supported mandatory continuing education. The findings reveal considerable gaps in dentists’ preparedness and implementation of early detection strategies despite high awareness levels. Strengthening diagnostic education in undergraduate programs and promoting structured continuing education may improve early detection efforts and reduce oral cancer-related morbidity and mortality. PLOS One | [https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0341849](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0341849) February 19, 2026 1 / 13 Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. Introduction Oral cancer represents a major global public health concern; it is one of the most common cancers in the world and ranks sixth in incidence, with an estimated 389,846 new cases diagnosed in 2022. [ 1 ,2] The mortality associated with or

FAQs

What was the goal of the study?

To evaluate dentists’ awareness, knowledge, and clinical practices regarding early-stage oral cancer lesions, emphasizing diagnostic behavior, patient education, and referral approaches.

How many dentists participated, and what tool was used?

A total of 263 dentists participated. The survey used a content-validated 36-item questionnaire covering demographics, examination habits, lesion-feature knowledge, biopsy practices, and educational experience.

What major gaps were observed despite high awareness?

Routine oral cancer screenings and biopsy practices were limited, and many dentists preferred monitoring suspicious lesions instead of immediate referral, with insufficient routine examination of high-risk anatomical areas.

Sep 22, 2026

Upload by Levi