A carregar...
Publicação
Avaliação dos conhecimentos sobre cancro oral numa população observada no âmbito de um programa de rastreio oncológico em Portugal
| Nome: | Descrição: | Tamanho: | Formato: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.17 MB | Adobe PDF |
Autores
Orientador(es)
Resumo(s)
Introdução: A falta de literacia em cancro oral revela-se como um problema transversal a nível internacional. O desconhecimento dos fatores de risco, formas de prevenção e sinais e sintomas traduzem-se nas elevadas taxas de incidência, morbilidade e mortalidade. Assim, a prevenção e deteção precoce constituem fatores determinantes para melhorar o panorama desta patologia, sendo o papel do médico dentista fundamental.
Objetivos: O presente estudo foi realizado com o propósito de avaliar os conhecimentos de cancro oral de uma população monitorada num programa de rastreios oncológicos em Portugal. Pretendeu-se, ainda, avaliar as possíveis relações entre os conhecimentos evidenciados e as variáveis sociodemográficas e estilo de vida dos participantes.
Materiais e métodos: Foi aplicado um questionário, durante 9 meses, em ações de rastreio oncológico. Um total de 2674 indivíduos foi incluído na amostra. Para a análise estatística recorreu-se ao programa IBM® SPSS® Statistics Versão 28.0 e o nível de significância estabelecido foi p < 0.05.
Resultados: Da totalidade dos participantes, 83.1% já tinha ouvido falar de cancro oral. O tabaco e o álcool foram identificados como os principais fatores de risco por 86.0% e 58.6% dos participantes, respetivamente. Úlceras que não cicatrizam (62.6%), manchas vermelhas ou brancas (45.7%) e aumentos de volume (37.9%) foram reconhecidos, pelos participantes, como sinais precoces de cancro oral.
Discussão: De que se tenha conhecimento, este estudo apresenta a maior amostra a nível nacional desta natureza. De forma geral, registaram-se baixos níveis de literacia, o que está em concordância com a literatura. Maiores níveis de conhecimento mostraram-se relacionados com o sexo feminino, idades inferiores, maiores níveis de escolaridade, ausência de hábitos tabágicos e maior frequência de visitas ao dentista.
Conclusão: Apesar de necessários estudos mais representativos da população portuguesa, é notória a falta de literacia relativamente ao cancro oral. Assim, é premente tomar medidas, com especial foco na população de risco, que se revelou menos informada.
Introduction: The lack of oral cancer awareness is a widespread problem worldwide. The lack of knowledge about risk factors, preventive measures and signs and symptoms translates into high incidence, morbidity, and mortality rates. Therefore, prevention and early detection emerge as crucial factors in improving the scenery of this disease, where dentists play a essential role. Objectives: The present study was undertaken with the purpose of assessing the oral cancer knowledge of a population monitored in an oncological screening program in Portugal. Additionally, the study aimed to evaluate the possible relationships between the demonstrated knowledge and the participants' sociodemographic variables and lifestyle. Materials and methods: A questionnaire-based survey was conducted over a period of 9 months in oncological screening campaigns. A total of 2674 individuals were included in the sample. IBM® SPSS® Statistics Version 28.0 software was used for statistical analysis and the established level of significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: Out of all participants, 83.1% had already heard of oral cancer. Tobacco and alcohol were identified as the main risk factors by 86.0% and 58.6% of the participants, respectively. Non-healing ulcers (62.6%), red or white patches (45.7%), and lumps (37.9%) were recognized by the participants as early signs of oral cancer. Discussion: This study presents the largest known sample for a study of this nature in Portugal. Overall, low levels of literacy were observed, which is in line with the existing literature. Higher levels of knowledge were found to be related to female participants, younger ages, higher levels of education, non-smoking habits, and more frequent dental visits. Conclusion: Despite the need for more representative studies of the Portuguese population, the lack of oral cancer literacy is evident. Therefore, it is urgent to take measures, with a particular focus on the high-risk population, which has been found to be less informed.
Introduction: The lack of oral cancer awareness is a widespread problem worldwide. The lack of knowledge about risk factors, preventive measures and signs and symptoms translates into high incidence, morbidity, and mortality rates. Therefore, prevention and early detection emerge as crucial factors in improving the scenery of this disease, where dentists play a essential role. Objectives: The present study was undertaken with the purpose of assessing the oral cancer knowledge of a population monitored in an oncological screening program in Portugal. Additionally, the study aimed to evaluate the possible relationships between the demonstrated knowledge and the participants' sociodemographic variables and lifestyle. Materials and methods: A questionnaire-based survey was conducted over a period of 9 months in oncological screening campaigns. A total of 2674 individuals were included in the sample. IBM® SPSS® Statistics Version 28.0 software was used for statistical analysis and the established level of significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: Out of all participants, 83.1% had already heard of oral cancer. Tobacco and alcohol were identified as the main risk factors by 86.0% and 58.6% of the participants, respectively. Non-healing ulcers (62.6%), red or white patches (45.7%), and lumps (37.9%) were recognized by the participants as early signs of oral cancer. Discussion: This study presents the largest known sample for a study of this nature in Portugal. Overall, low levels of literacy were observed, which is in line with the existing literature. Higher levels of knowledge were found to be related to female participants, younger ages, higher levels of education, non-smoking habits, and more frequent dental visits. Conclusion: Despite the need for more representative studies of the Portuguese population, the lack of oral cancer literacy is evident. Therefore, it is urgent to take measures, with a particular focus on the high-risk population, which has been found to be less informed.