University of Split School of Medicine's students knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathology of the oral cavity

Cilj: Procijeniti znanje studenata dvaju studijskih programa Medicinskog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Splitu, studija medicine i dentalne medicine, o anatomiji, fiziologiji i patologiji usne šupljine te utvrditi postoje li razlike u znanju između studenata od četvrte do šeste godine unutar svakog studija te između studija. Materijali i metode: Provedeno je presječno istraživanje, metodom internetskog upitnika s 28 pitanja. U istraživanju je sudjelovao ukupno 201 student s četvrte, pete i šeste godine studija medicine i dentalne medicine Medicinskog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Splitu. Podaci su obrađeni u programskom paketu STATISTICA 11.0. Rezultati: Studenti dentalne medicine pokazali su statistički značajno veće znanje o anatomiji, fiziologiji i patologiji usne šupljine s 78,4 % točnih odgovora od studenata medicine s 53,4 % točnih odgovora (P=0,0000). Studenti medicine u nižem postotku navode veći rizik od stomatoloških problema tijekom trudnoće od studenata dentalne medicine te uz to nisu sasvim dobro upoznati s odnosom produljenog dojenja i pojave ranog karijesa djetinjstva. Da redoviti dentalni pregledi u djece trebaju početi u dobi od oko 6 godina smatra polovica ispitanih studenata s medicine (49 %). Pokazano je relativno dobro znanje (65,5 % i 78,7 %) o povezanosti oralnog i sistemskog zdravlja. Devetnaest (17 %) studenata medicine smatra da sve prekancerozne lezije oralne šupljine neizbježno dovode do karcinoma usne šupljine čak i ako se uklone predisponirajući faktori, a pogrešnom specijalistu bi većina (66; 58,9 %) studenata studija medicine poslala pacijenta s ulkusom oralne sluznice koji ne cijeli preko dva tjedna. Zaključak: Postoji statistički značajna razlika u znanju studenata medicine i dentalne medicine o anatomiji, fiziologiji i patologiji usne šupljine, a znanje raste s godinama studija, od četvrte do šeste godine.Objective: To evaluate the knowledge of students of two study programs of the University of Split School of Medicine, medicine and dental medicine, about anatomy, physiology and pathology of the oral cavity, and to determine whether there are differences in knowledge between students from the fourth to sixth year within each study and between studies. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using an online questionnaire with 28 questions. A total of 201 students from the fourth, fifth and sixth year of medicine and dental medicine of the University of Split School of Medicine participated in the research. The data were processed in the STATISTICA 11.0 software package. Results: Dental medicine students showed a statistically significant higher knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathology of the oral cavity with 78.4 % correct answers, whilst medical students had 53.4 % of correct answers (P=0.0000). A lower percentage of medical students report a higher risk of dental problems during pregnancy than students of dental medicine, and in addition, they are not quite familiar with the relationship between prolonged breastfeeding and the occurrence of early childhood caries. Half of the examined medical students (49 %) believe that regular dental examinations in children should begin at the age of 6. Relatively good knowledge was shown (65.5 % and 78.7 %) on questions about the connection between oral and systemic health. 19 (17 %) medical students believe that all precancerous lesions of the oral cavity inevitably lead to cancer of the oral cavity even if predisposing factors are removed, and the majority (66; 58.9 %) of medical students would send a patient with an ulcer of the oral mucosa which does not last more than two weeks to the wrong specialist. Conclusion: There is a statistically significant difference in the knowledge of medical and dental students about anatomy, physiology and pathology of the oral cavity, and knowledge increases with the years of study, from the fourth to the sixth year