Human papillomavirus (HPV) and its vaccine: awareness and opinions of clinical dental students in a UK dental school

Introduction Dental clinicians are in a position to educate their patients on the subject of HPV as part of a primary healthcare multidisciplinary team and to detect HPV-related disease. Attention needs to be paid to dental undergraduate teaching on the topic. This study aims to ascertain awareness and opinions of our dental undergraduate students about HPV, its relation to oral health and its vaccine. Method A questionnaire was distributed to undergraduate dental students in clinical years 3, 4 and 5 of the BDS programme at Bristol Dental School. Results Dental students demonstrated an understanding of HPV and oropharyngeal cancer and expressed that they felt dentists should play a role in health promotion in relation to oropharyngeal cancers. They also wished for more teaching on the subject and suggested topic areas that they wished to know more about. Conclusion New teaching strategies on the topic of HPV should be considered for inclusion into undergraduate dental programmes and encompass both knowledge and communication skills training to prepare future dentists for their role in confronting this preventable disease.