Evaluation of Dental Professionals' Knowledge and Attitude Regarding the Diagnosis of Oral Cancer Through Histopathological Examination of Granulation Tissue.

Introduction: The current cancer trend in India has reported an alarming increase in cancer of the lip, throat, and oral cavity. Few dentists are aware that malignant neoplasms can also occur in the form of granulation tissue and periapical granulomas. However, most dentists agree that biopsies are essential to diagnose oral cancer. This makes the timely diagnosis of oral cancer dependent upon the histopathological examination of the granulation tissue by the dentist.

Aim:  The main aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of dentists regarding the diagnosis of oral cancer through histopathological analysis of granulation tissue.

Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted on dentists who were residents of Uttar Pradesh, India. Two hundred and fifty study participants enrolled to complete a self-structured questionnaire containing 15 closed-ended questions. The study was conducted over a period of three months, from June to August 2020. Descriptive statistics were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 21.0 (Released 2012; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States, and the t-test was performed. A significance level of P ≤ 0.05 was used to determine the statistical significance of quantitative variables.

Results: The study findings revealed that only a small percentage of dentists (47.2%) were aware of the importance of biopsies in diagnosing oral cancer. Moreover, a minority (14.4%) had conducted biopsies and submitted samples for histopathological analysis. Of them, 10% were aware that in clinical practice, malignant tumors can also manifest as periapical granulomas, granulation tissue, gingivitis, and other conditions.

Conclusion: Dentists should proactively submit any granulation tissue for histopathological examination. Oral healthcare providers must maintain a high level of suspicion, develop a range of potential or differential diagnoses for oral cancer, and take necessary measures to attain a definitive diagnosis. This may include considering a referral to a specialist for the treatment of oral cancer.