Knowledge of oral cancer among the community served during the stomatological lesion prevention campaign conducted at Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil - Ecuador

The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of knowledge on oral cancer and level of preventive care among the population. A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed to evaluate 408 individuals through a face-to-face survey at Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil during the 2016 academic year. Sixty-one percent (61%) of respondents said they knew of the existence of oral cancer, but 56.1% did not know that 'white spots' in the oral cavity could become malignant, and 50.7% did not know that 'lumps'could be oral cancer. Moreover, 81.8% said they had never undergone screening for oral cancer. This shows the continued need to implement preventive measures such as educating patients in self-examination of the oral cavity, intensifying prevention campaigns and raising awareness among dentists regarding their responsibility in early detection