Oral Cancer Awareness Among Undergraduate Dental Students of Kantipur Dental College and Hospital.

BACKGROUND: Oral Cancer is one of the most common form of cancer in the world. The early diagnosis and identification of cancerous lesions are necessary to reduce the morbidity and mortality of oral cancer. Today's dental students are tomorrow's dental surgeons and specialists who identify and manage the oral cancer patients. The aim of the study is to assess the knowledge and attitude regarding etiology and clinical features of oral cancer. METHODS: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted at Kantipur Dental College, Kathmandu, Nepal after the ethical approval by Kantipur Dental College Institutional Ethical Review Committee. The study population were clinical students from third, fourth and fifth year of Bachelor of Dental Surgery. RESULTS: Out of 101 participants, 67.3% students always examined their patient's oral mucosa. Only 3.0% students felt very well-informed about clinical appearance of oral cancer. Of of total, 54.5% students identified floor of mouth as most common site of oral cancer and 60.4% identified border of tongue as most common site of oral cancer. Of total participants, only 22.8% students had examined oral cancer lesion before the study. Almost all (99%) students reported they wanted lacked knowledge and wanted more information on oral cancer. CONCLUSIONS: The undergraduate students lacked knowledge on the identification and detection of oral cancer. They were also not examining patient's oral mucosa routinely. Many students did not have sufficient information on risk factors and associated oral cancer lesions.

Revisit of Nasolabial Flap in the Reconstruction of Defects Involving the Oral Floor.

AIM: The aim of this article is to present the usefulness of the nasolabial flap (NL flap) along with a detailed review of the factors that lead to its selection for the reconstruction of post-ablative oral floor defects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The records of patients who underwent the procedure between June 2009 and June 2011 were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 16 reconstructive procedures were performed. NL flap was selected for reconstruction in all the cases due patient related factors mainly associated medical comorbidities, resource constraints, and the relatively small size of defects, which precluded the use of free flaps. RESULTS: None of the flaps were lost, 26% of patients had flap related complications. Most of the complications were minor and managed conservatively. CONCLUSION: Data from this study suggest that NL flap is a reliable option for reconstruction of the oral floor, in form as well as function, without esthetic compromise and has a major role even in this era of free flaps.