Increasing Oral Cancer Screening by Dentists:Qualitative Research on Practitioner

波多黎各(PR)的年龄调整(世界)口腔癌(OC)发病率和死亡率位居 是西半球最高的。口腔癌的早期诊断将降低发病率和死亡率。 由这种疾病及其治疗所产生的。2010年健康人的目标是增加 口腔癌和咽癌(I期，局限性)最早发现的百分比为50%。 不幸的是，波多黎各联邦似乎在早期癌症检测方面存在缺陷，即 比美国本土严重得多。我们已经报告了原位浸润性癌的倒三角形 癌症和口腔癌前病变，即口腔的病理诊断显著增加 癌症比其他类型的病变要好。因此，在临床实践中常规地包括口腔癌检查将 检测更多的癌前和早期口腔癌，从而降低发病率和 波多黎各的死亡率。该项目的长期目标是加强口腔癌的二级预防 通过在牙科实践中增加头颈部检查的做法，以a)比例 筛查人员，b)筛查的频率(初始、回忆检查)，以及c)筛查的质量。 具体目标是：1)确定改变波多黎各牙医OC筛查实践行为的方法 波多黎各，2)确定将增加波多黎各从业者筛查的新兴技术，3)确定 将在波多黎各增加从业者筛查的新兴社会趋势和活动，以及4)基于 具体目标#1-3的发现为增加实践者定义了一个务实的实施策略 波多黎各的口腔癌筛查。为达到特定目的，采取定性的调查方法 (即，专家焦点小组和主要线人访谈)将从以下方面获得必要的数据 具体目标#1-3，以实现具体目标#4。因此，在文化/职业上可以接受的方法， 可以开发目标群体(牙医)认可的技术和活动 在增加口腔癌筛查频率方面是可以接受的，也是有成效的。这些目标将 由一支经验丰富的多学科研究团队完成。意义：通过关注公共卫生 和专业活动，宣传和实施高度可接受的口腔癌筛查 根据这一项目的结果进行手术，口腔癌的发病率和死亡率将会降低 在波多黎各。

Age-adjusted (world) oral cancer (OC) incidence and mortality rates for Puerto Rico (PR) are among the highest in the Western Hemisphere. Early diagnosis of oral cancer will decrease the morbidity and mortality resultant from this disease and its treatment. The objective of Healthy People 2010 is to increase the percentage of oral and pharyngeal cancers (stage I, localized) detected at the earliest stage to 50%. Unfortunately, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico appears to have a deficit in early cancer detection that is strikingly worse than the mainland U.S. We have reported an ¿inverse triangle¿ of invasive carcinomas to in situ carcinomas and premalignant oral cancer lesions, i.e., significantly more pathology sign-out diagnoses for oral cancer than the other lesion types. Thus, routinely including oral cancer examinations in clinical practice will detect both more pre-malignant and earlier oral cancers with the result of decreasing the morbidity and mortality in Puerto Rico. The long-term goal of this project is to strengthen secondary prevention of oral cancer by increasing the practice of head and neck examinations in dental practices in terms of the a) proportion of persons screened, b) the frequency of screenings (initial, recall exams), and c) the quality of the screenings. The Specific Aims are: 1) identify methods to change OC screening practice behaviors by dentists in Puerto Rico, 2) identify emerging technologies that will increase practitioner screening in Puerto Rico, 3) identify emerging social trends and activities that will increase practitioner screening in Puerto Rico , and 4) based on the findings from Specific Aims #1-3, define a pragmatic implementation strategy for increasing practitioner screening for oral cancer in Puerto Rico. To accomplish the Specific Aims, qualitative investigative methods (i.e., expert focus groups and key informant interviews) will be conducted to obtain the necessary data from Specific Aims #1-3 to allow accomplishing Specific Aim #4. Thus, culturally/professionally acceptable methods, technologies and activities can be developed that are recognized by the targeted group (dentists) as being acceptable as well as productive in increasing the frequency of oral cancer screenings. These objectives will be accomplished by an experienced multi-disciplinary research team. Significance: By focusing public health and professional activities on highly acceptable oral cancer screening dissemination and implementation operations that are based on the findings of this project, oral cancer morbidity and mortality will be decreased in Puerto Rico.