A survey to evaluate the knowledge of Syrian dental students about oral manifestation of systemic diseases: A cross-sectional study

Systemic diseases often have oral manifestations that can significantly impact oral health. These manifestations can stem from hematological, gastrointestinal, and viral infections, resulting in various alterations within the oral cavity. Recognizing the crucial link between general and oral health, this research aims to evaluate the awareness of dental students and interns regarding the oral manifestations of systemic diseases. A cross-sectional study involving 244 dental students, including clinical stage dental students from the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Damascus and intern dentists, was conducted. Participants completed a survey assessing their knowledge and sources of information about oral manifestations of systemic diseases. Additionally, they answered questions pertaining to oral manifestations of gastrointestinal diseases, viral infections, and hematological disorders, alongside inquiries about investigations warranted when observing oral lesions. The participants’ awareness levels were categorized as excellent, good, intermediate, or poor. Awareness levels were assessed based on the percentage of correct responses. The study demonstrated that awareness of the oral manifestations of gastrointestinal diseases ranged between intermediate and good, knowledge levels of 71.3% for inflammatory bowel diseases and 55.7% for Crohn’s disease. Conversely, awareness regarding the oral manifestations of viral infections was notably lower, with poor knowledge observed for hepatitis viruses (11.5%) and COVID-19 (28.85%), while intermediate awareness was recorded for viruses associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (39.55%). Regarding hematological disorders, awareness was good for conditions associated with gingival bleeding (62.3%) and glossitis (70.5%). However, intermediate levels of knowledge were noted for disorders presented with aphthous ulcers (56.84%), submucosal bleeding and hemorrhagic ulcers (43.9%), and angular cheilitis (57.97%). Overall the knowledge of Syrian dental students regarding the oral manifestations of systemic diseases was classified as intermediate, with relatively strong awareness in areas such as inflammatory bowel diseases and glossitis but significant gaps in understanding viral infections and hepatitis-related symptoms. Additionally, only 11.1% of students reported having diagnosed a systemic disease based on oral manifestations, indicating a limited application of this knowledge in clinical practice. There is a need to enhance and elevate the knowledge of dental students and practitioners regarding oral lesions in general, and the oral lesions of systemic background in particular.