Increasing Oral Cancer Screenings: Focus Groups’ Policy Recommendations

Objectives: To identify policy recommendations that dentists in Puerto Rico (PR) believe will increase the frequency and quality of oral cancer (screening) examinations (OCE) in dental offices.
Methods: The study was conducted in three phases: a systematic search of the relevant literature, an expert review and consensus panel (9 members), and two focus groups (FG) involving PR general dentists. FG participants were purposefully selected to obtain a range of professional viewpoints; the participants were 8 females and 8 males. One FG was comprised of 7 University of PR School of Dental Medicine (UPRSDM) faculty and the other FG of 9 private practitioners. FG’s were conducted in Spanish at the UPRSDM by two experienced qualitative researchers. Standard qualitative analytic methodologies were used.
Results: Policy recommendations included: OCE clinical competency demonstration for licensure; OCE CE required for relicensing; public campaigns to: 1) create awareness about oral cancer (OC) and the need for frequent OCEs, and 2) conducting oral self-examinations; diagnostic fees for OCEs; publicizing malpractice cases for failure to conduct an OCE in OC cases; creating an oral mucosa lesion referral center; and OCEs conducted by hygienists and medical professionals should be targeted regarding the OC problem in PR.
Conclusions: General dentists in our FGs believed the frequency and quality of OCEs in Puerto Rico can be increased through the application of specific public health policies. As almost all dentists in PR are trained in ADA accredited programs, these recommendations may be applicable in part or whole to the mainland U.S. Their recommendations were consistent with previous reports and recommendations of the expert consensus panel, suggesting a broader generalizability to these findings.