Summary
The purpose of the present study was to quantify the frequency of self-inspection by patients in the Araucania Region and their knowledge about the normal state of the oral mucosa. The sample consisted of 300 patients aged over 20 years, examined in the Hernán Henríquez Aravena Hospital in the city of Temuco (confidence interval 95%). To evaluate the frequency of self-inspection and degree of knowledge a questionnaire was prepared with five yes/no questions about knowledge with respect to the normal state of the oral mucosa and one multiple choice question on the frequency of self-inspection. Of the total sample (n=300), 46.6% said that they never carried out self-inspection during the year; 24.3% carried out self-inspection once or twice per year and 29% three or more times. In 52.6% there was no concordance between the patient’s answers and the actual presence or absence of lesions in examination by an oral pathologist, and in 47.3% there was a concordance (kappa=0.096). The results obtained demonstrate the need to educate the population in techniques of oral health and self-examination, to increase early diagnosis of lesions to the oral mucosa.
KEY WORDS: oral mucosal lesions, oral diagnosis, knowledge.
How to cite this article
MONSALVES, MJ.; RAPOSO A.; ARAVENA P.; SANHUEZA A. Frecuency of self- exam and level knowledge in patients with respect to oral mucosal lesions in Temuco, Chile. Int. J. Odontostomat., 4(1):13-18, 2010.
