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Effectiveness of “OralDETECT”- A Spaced Repetitive Learning Method - As a Competency Assessment Tool for Early Detection of Oral Cancer

Background: Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide. It is generally acknowledged that the early diagnosis of oral cancer may result in higher 5-year survival rates, less need for aggressive treatment and improved quality-of-life. There is therefore a need for a quantifiable, reliable and competency-based educational tool which can be used to train dentists and other health care providers in the early detection of oral cancers. Aim: To assess the effectiveness of “OralDETECT” spaced repetitive learning method for training dental professionals to become competent in the early detection of oral cancer. Methods: The current study involved training three dental professional groups: Oral Pathology/Oral Medicine/Oral Surgery specialists (x), Periodontists/Restorative dentists (y), General Dental Practitioners (z) and four undergraduate cohorts comprising 259 dental students from 3 different Malaysian dental schools. A structured one-day training program “OralDETECT” was conducted, consisting of a well-planned series of lectures, tests and discussions of the test answers. During the spaced discussions participants were trained on how to ask appropriate questions and look for clinical clues to arrive at the correct diagnosis of target [oral potentially malignant disorders/oral cancer (OPMD/OC)] and other nontarget lesions. The tests comprised one pretest and 4 posttests for the dental professional group, and one pretest and 3 posttests for the student groups. The overall and group mean scores were analyzed for all the tests conducted. The statistical evaluation was based on the percentage of correct answers (scores) for each test given by the participants. Repeated-measure ANOVA and post hoc Bonferroni´s test were carried out to examine the differences between test scores overall and for each group. All statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS software, where P values < 0.005 were considered significant. Results: The overall percentage of correct responses for both the dental professional and student groups increased from a minimum of 30% to above 80% from the pretest to the final posttest. There were significant differences in overall scores between all 4 posttests and the pretest for dental professional groups, and between all 3 posttests and the pretest for all student groups. The percentage of accuracy of diagnosis for the individual lesions (leukoplakia, lichen planus, erythroplakia, oral submucous fibrosis and suspicious of oral cancer) increased to > 80% for the Dental Professional groups. The percentage of diagnostic accuracy for the individual lesions also increased to > 80% (except for erythroplakia) for the student groups. Conclusion: Based on the results of our study the “OralDETECT” spaced repetitive learning method is an efficient and effective competency-based learning tool for teaching the early detection of OPMD and oral cancer among dental professionals and dental students.