Parents in rural communities may have knowledge gaps concerning the relationship between HPV and certain cancers and the protection the HPV vaccine offers, according to new research.
However, about 60% of parents surveyed approved of dental providers' role in vaccinating for HPV, according to an abstract presented on March 24 at the 51st Annual Meeting & Exhibition of the American Association of Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research.
To understand parents' HPV-related cancer knowledge, 300 parents with children ages 9 to 17 from three rural counties in Virginia participated in a survey.
The research, presented by Shillpa Naavaal, MS, MPH, of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA, suggests that effective communication and messaging through dental providers can build awareness about HPV, its relationship to cancers, and the importance of the vaccine.
