NUMERO: #20250289

Título: BARRIERS TO THE DIAGNOSTIC AUTONOMY OF PRIMARY HEALTH CARE DENTISTS IN THE CONTEXT OF ORAL CANCER

Nome do Apresentador: Bárbara Campo Dall Orto MARTINS

Categoria do Trabalho: Painel de pesquisa científica (PPC)

Área Temática: Estomatologia

Resumo: Objective: To analyze the factors that hinder the early diagnosis of oral cancer and oral potentially malignant disorders(OPMDs) among primary health care dentists.
Study Design: A cross-sectional study using a questionnaire administered to dentists working in primary health care. Variables related to self-perceived diagnostic competence, technical skills for performing biopsies, and the clinical approach to suspected cases were analyzed.
Results: A total of 248 responses were collected. Most professionals reported feeling insecure about diagnosing OPMDs (70.97%), lacking knowledge of laboratory referral pathways (49.19%), and rarely performing biopsies. When oral cancer or OPMDs were suspected, only 16.3% of respondents reported performing a biopsy. Limited technical skills were attributed to insufficient practical training and inadequate infrastructure in the primary care units. A statistically significant association was found between knowledge of OPMDs and the performance of biopsies (p < 0.001); among those with limited knowledge and low confidence in diagnosing OPMDs, the majority had never performed a biopsy. Years of clinical experience were not significantly associated with biopsy performance (p = 0.659).
Conclusion: Deficiencies in practical training and structural resources undermine the diagnostic autonomy of primary health care dentists, limiting their problem-solving capacity and contributing to delays in the diagnosis of oral cancer.

Autor 1:  Bárbara Campo Dall Orto MARTINS

E-mail 1:  [email protected]

Autor 2:   Mariana Aguiar GOMES

E-mail 2:  [email protected]

Autor 3 :  Tahyná Duda DEPS

E-mail 3:  [email protected]

Autor 4:  Danielle Resende CAMISASCA

E-mail 4:  [email protected]

Autor 5:  Liliana Aparecida PIMENTA-BARROS

E-mail 5:  [email protected]