Influence of years of professional experience in relation to the diagnostic skill of general dental practitioners (GDPs) in identifying oral cancer and precancerous lesions

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate skill in diagnosing cancer and oral precancerous lesions among general dentists in the Autonomous Community of Murcia (Spain). Material and method: Twenty randomly distributed clinical images were used, of which 45% corresponded to benign lesions, 35% to oral precancerous lesions, and 20% to oral cancer. Each case was accompanied by a summarised clinical history. The study sample comprised 150 general dentists divided into two groups: group I (60 recently graduated dentists without professional experience) and group II (90 dentists with established professional activity). Results: In group I, the sensitivity of oral cancer diagnosis was 61.3% versus 85.5% in group II (p<0.001), while the sensitivity of precancerous lesion diagnosis was 71.7% in group I versus 80.7% in group II (p=0.004). Conclusions: The results obtained show that junior dentists and general dentists with public or private practice need more training and more experience in diagnosing cancer and oral precancerous lesions.