NCT07172776

A Community Engagement Approach to Improving Communication With Black Men About Oral and Pharyngeal Cancers

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 50 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Illinois at Chicago · Academic / Other
• Sex: Male
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

1. Specific OPC patient communication (COPC) tool to address OPCs among Black men. 2. Assess the COPC tool's ability to improve dental providers' communication with Black men. 3. Implement a pilot test of the culturally tailored OPC communication tool in community-based settings to assess perceptions, knowledge and experiences of Black men receiving oral cancer screenings

Detailed description

Aim 1: Adapt an existing OPC patient communication tool into a culturally- specific OPC patient communication (COPC) tool to address OPCs among Black men. Aim 1a: We will use a mixed methods study design to conduct focus groups/ interviews and surveys among Black men who reside or work in UI Health catchment areas (n=25). Aim 1b: Up to 20 Black males will be recruited by the research team to review the communication tool and infographic and participate in discussions to assess the tool's acceptability, cultural appropriateness, and potential to improve communication with Black men about OPCs. The communication tool is a document that will be used by dentists to communicate with and screen patients for OPC in culturally sensitive manner. Based on feedback from the Aim 1b focus group participants, the research team will further revise the COPC tool to ensure that it is culturally aligned, acceptable, and appropriate. Aim 2: Assess the COPC tool's ability to improve dental providers' communication with Black men about OPCs in a simulated environment. We will train up to 15 dental providers to use the tool (n=15). They will receive an introduction to the tool, use the tool during a simulated patient encounter and complete an interview to assess their overall attitudes of the tool, the tool's usability, and its effectiveness in helping to improve their self-efficacy for communicating with Black men about OPCs. The dental providers will complete a one-on-one individual interview. There will not be any focus groups in Aim 2 activities. Aim 3: Implement a pilot test of the culturally tailored OPC communication tool in community-based settings to assess the perceptions, knowledge and experiences of Black men receiving oral cancer screenings. Aim 3a) Up to 50 Black male oral cancer screening patients will be invited to complete pre surveys and post surveys to assess the tool's effectiveness in improving their OPC knowledge and comfort discussing OPCs. Oral cancer screening examinations are offered as part of the research along with the OPC Communication Tool, the OPC Infographic and the surveys. Participants have the option of NOT completing the oral cancer screening examinations but still completing the rest of the research. Aim 3b) Up to 50 Dentists and dental students will use the OPC Communication Tool and OPC Infographic to conduct oral cancer screenings. Oral cancer screening examinations are offered as part of the research along with the OPC Communication Tool, the OPC Infographic and the surveys. Participants have the option of NOT completing the oral cancer screening examinations but still completing the rest of the research. The dentists and dental students conducting the OPC screenings will complete a demographic survey and a post survey.

Conditions

• Oral Cancers

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	oral cancer communication tool	The overall goal is to determine if the OPC communication tool has potential to enhance Black-men's and dentists' comfort discussing oral and pharyngeal cancers in clinical-like settings. Each Aim builds upon activities from the previous Aim. Aim 1a and Aim1b activities will produce a culturally- aligned oral-pharyngeal cancer communication (COPC) tool that will be used in Aim 2. In Aim 2 activities, dental providers will receive training on the tool and practice utilization of the tool. The tool will be further revised using the additional feedback from Aim 2 activities. In Aim 3, the revised culturally- aligned COPC tool will be utilized in community-based settings. In this IRB amendment-modification, we are seeking approval for Phase III/ Aim 3 activities.

Timeline

• Start date: 2026-01-01
• Primary completion: 2026-12-31
• Completion: 2027-12-31
• First posted: 2025-09-15
• Last updated: 2025-12-29