More than 92% of Illinois dentists provide oral cancer examinations for their patients, but many are not performing the procedures thoroughly or at optimum intervals, according to a new study from the University of Illinois at Chicago, (UIC) USA.

With an incomplete understanding of the nature of pre-malignant lesions and of proper examination techniques, some dentists in Illinois are not doing all they should to detect oral cancers in their patients, according to Charles LeHew of the UIC Cancer Center's Center for Population Health and Health Disparities and the Institute for Health Research and Policy.

More than 500 dentists in 19 Illinois counties responded to the 38-item questionnaire that was used to gauge the extent of their knowledge of oral cancer prevention and early detection. The majority of dentists correctly identified squamous cell carcinoma, the most common form of oral cancer, as well as the most common sites for oral cancer and the most-common types of early lesions. Many, however, were not able to answer those questions correctly.

Moreover, dentists lacked knowledge needed for risk assessment and counselling. Two-thirds of the dentists had had oral cancer continuing education; however, 40% had trained more than two years prior to the survey. Dr Linda Kaste, Associate Professor of Prevention and Public Health Sciences who co-authored the study said, 'Illinois dentists face many barriers to providing early detection and risk counselling services to their patients. Lack of proper training and adequate time appear to be chief among them.'

She added that to increase awareness of the disease, UIC has been working with organisations in several Illinois counties that have high incidences of oral cancer to develop and distribute public health education materials. Oral cancer screenings are also provided to the underserved populations. The counties are located in northeast, central, western, and southwestern Illinois. The study was published in the Journal of Public Health Dentistry 2007; 67: 89.