Oral Cancer and Oral Sex: Awareness and Practice among Nursing Students in Ibadan Metropolis, Nigeria

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of oral sex, and explore the level of awareness on oral cancer among nursing students in Ibadan metropolis, Nigeria.

Materials and Methods: This research was a descriptive cross-sectional questionnaire-based study carried out among 158 nursing students in 3 selected nursing schools in Ibadan, Nigeria. A self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on the participants’ socio-demographic characteristics, sexual behaviours, and awareness of oral cancer risk factors and symptoms. All administered questionnaires were returned, and none was discarded because they were properly filled. Data was analysed using the SPSS Version 16 software.

Results: The majority (83.5%) of the respondents were between the age range of 15 to 25 years, and 79.1% were females. Thirty-nine (24.69%) respondents had practised sexual intercourse, 2 (1.3%) had practised sodomy, while just one (0.63%) respondent had practised oral sex. The majority of the respondents (115/158 [72.8%]) have heard of oral cancer, and their top three sources of information were books (50/115 [43.5%]), lectures (60/115 [52.2%]) and newspapers (23/115 [20.0%]). Concerning those 115 individuals that were aware of oral cancer, only 77.4% (89/115) of them knew that oral sex is an oral cancer risk factor, while only 36.5% [42/115]) of them knew of other risk factors. Lastly, the top three clinical manifestations of oral cancer known by these aforementioned 115 individuals were: oral ulcer (86.1%); mouth swelling (74.8%); and soft tissue discolouration (64.3%).

Conclusion: The prevalence of oral sex among nursing students in this study is 1%. Many of them were not knowledgeable about oral cancer risk factors and symptoms. There exists the need to educate nursing students in Ibadan on oral cancer.