Abstract
Five‐year survival rates of oral cancer patients remain poor. To better prepare undergraduate dental students to recognize this problem and contribute to solutions, a 24‐hour lecture course in oral oncology was instituted. A pre‐course quiz, daily quizzes, a midterm and a final examination were administered to assess student knowledge. The course covered all aspects of oral cancer from epidemiology and etiology, through diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. Student oncology knowledge was assessed by analyzing the test results of two consecutive third‐year dental classes. Overall, students adequately meet the course objectives, but assessment of specific topics reveal some deficits in particular areas. Evaluation of student knowledge provides valuable information to instructors for improving course content and student achievement.
Notes
Dental Clinical Epidemiology Fellow, Department of Dental Public Health and Hygiene, University of California, San Francisco.
Professor and Chair, Division of Oral Medicine, University of California, San Francisco.
Postgraduate Research Dentist, Department of Stomatology, University of California, San Francisco.
NIH Visiting Scholar in the Department of Stomatology, University of California, San Francisco, and is associated with the National and State Cancer Research Program in Sao Paulo, Brazil.