Oral CancersNCT07172776
A Community Engagement Approach to Improving Communication With Black Men About Oral and Pharyngeal Cancers
A study testing oral cancer communication tool in people with Oral Cancers, run by University of Illinois Chicago.
Trial 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. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older, men onlyHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Oral Cancers
- What is being tested?
- oral cancer communication tool
- Type of treatment
- Pill or oral medicine, Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 50 participants
- Where
- No sites listed yet
- Study dates
- 1 Jan 2026to 31 Dec 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- Men only
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Aim 1a Inclusion Criteria
- Self-Identify as African American or Black 2) Self-Identify as male 3) Age 18 and over 4) Reside or work in the UI Cancer Center catchment area Exclusion Criteria
- Does not self-identify as African American or Black
- Does not self-identify as male
- Less than Age 18
- Does not reside or work in the UI Cancer Center catchment area
- Is a dental professional or dental student
Aim 1b Inclusion Criteria
- Self-Identify as African American or Black
- Self-Identify as male
- Age 18 and over
- Reside or work in the UI Cancer Center catchment area Exclusion Criteria
- Does not self-identify as African American or Black 2) Does not self-identify as male 3) Less than Age 18 4) Does not reside or work in the UI Cancer Center catchment area 5) Is a dental professional or dental student Aim 2 Inclusion Criteria
- Licensed as a general dentist in IL
- Age 18 and over
- Practice general dentistry in the University of Illinois Cancer Center catchment area
- Self-reported to provide general dentistry care to at least one Black male patient per week Exclusion Criteria
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- Not licensed as a general dentist in IL
- Not Age 18 and over
- Does not practice general dentistry in the University of Illinois Cancer Center catchment area
- Does not self-report to provide general dentistry care to at least one Black male patient per week
Aim 3a Inclusion Criteria for Oral Cancer Screening patients 1) Self-Identify as African American or Black 2) Self-Identify as male 3) Age 18 and over 4) Reside or work in the UI Cancer Center catchment area Exclusion Criteria for Oral Cancer Screening patients
- Does not self-identify as African American or Black
- Does not self-identify as male
- Less than Age 18
- Dentists and/ or Dental Students
Aim 3b Inclusion Criteria for Dentists and/or Dental students
- Licensed as a general dentist or legally able to provide dental screenings under the direct supervision of a dentist licensed in Illinois
- Age 18 and over
- Practice general dentistry in the University of Illinois Cancer Center catchment area
- Dental students must be either a third or fourth year dental student enrolled at UIC College of Dentistry Exclusion Criteria for Dentists and/or Dental students
- Not licensed as a general dentist in IL or is not legally able to provide dental screenings under the direct supervision of dentist licensed in Illinois 2) Not Age 18 and over 3) Does not practice general dentistry in the University of Illinois Cancer Center catchment area 4) Dental students must not be at a level below that of a third or fourth year dental student enrolled at UIC College of Dentistry
Trial locations and contacts
No sites are listed yet. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
About this study
- Specific OPC patient communication (COPC) tool to address OPCs among Black men.
- Assess the COPC tool's ability to improve dental providers' communication with Black men.
- 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
Read the 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
- Being tested
- oral cancer communication tool
- Keywords
- oral cancer communication
- Medical subject headings
- Mouth Neoplasms
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
oral cancer communication toolBehavioural
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.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-post survey | Experimental | Participants will complete a pre-survey either on paper or online, engage with a dentist or dental student, then complete a post-survey. Receives: Behavioral: oral cancer communication tool |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
oral cancer communication
This communication tool will ideally help dentists communicate with their patients about oral cancer risk and treatment. The oral cancer screenings will occur in person. Participants will complete a pre-survey either on paper or online, engage with a dentist or dental student, then complete a post-survey
Measured: 10 minutes
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted15 Sep 2025
- Study start1 Jan 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion31 Dec 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Dec 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Oral CancersStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of Illinois ChicagoThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Screening
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 50 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Illinois Chicago
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Project Brotherhood, American Cancer Society, Inc., University of Maryland, Baltimore County
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Patrick Dean Smith, University of Illinois Chicago
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07172776
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- STUDY2022-0658
- Other IDs
- CHERC-MSI-21-168-01-CHERC-MSI
- Status last verified
- Dec 2025
- First submitted
- 8 Sep 2025
- Last updated
- 29 Dec 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Smith PD, Murray M, Bailey T, Peterson CE, Bekoe O, Weatherspoon DJ. A community-based participatory protocol to improving communication with Black men about oral and pharyngeal cancers: Research protocol. PLoS One. 2023 Aug 17;18(8):e0288478. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0288478. eCollection 2023.
PubMed 37590209
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 29 Dec 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- A Community Engagement Approach to Improving Communication With Black Men About Oral and Pharyngeal Cancers
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07172776
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- STUDY2022-0658
- Conditions
- Oral Cancers
- Keywords
- oral cancer communication
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 50 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of Illinois ChicagoUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Project Brotherhood, American Cancer Society, Inc., University of Maryland, Baltimore County
- Study start
- 1 Jan 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 31 Dec 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Dec 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 15 Sep 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
- Specific OPC patient communication (COPC) tool to address OPCs among Black men.
- Assess the COPC tool's ability to improve dental providers' communication with Black men.
- 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.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Screening
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-post survey | Experimental | Behavioral: oral cancer communication toolParticipants will complete a pre-survey either on paper or online, engage with a dentist or dental student, then complete a post-survey. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- Male only
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| oral cancer communication toolThe 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. | Behavioural | Pre-post survey |
Primary outcome
oral cancer communication
Time frame: 10 minutes
This communication tool will ideally help dentists communicate with their patients about oral cancer risk and treatment. The oral cancer screenings will occur in person. Participants will complete a pre-survey either on paper or online, engage with a dentist or dental student, then complete a post-survey
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 29 Dec 2025.
- Background: PubMed 37590209Smith PD, Murray M, Bailey T, Peterson CE, Bekoe O, Weatherspoon DJ. A community-based participatory protocol to improving communication with Black men about oral and pharyngeal cancers: Research protocol. PLoS One. 2023 Aug 17;18(8):e0288478. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0288478. eCollection 2023.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing oral cancer communication tool in people with Oral Cancers, run by University of Illinois Chicago.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 29 Dec 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Patrick D Smith, DMD, MPH (312-492-2717, psmith26@uic.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
oral cancer communication (time frame: 10 minutes). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07172776, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 29 Dec 2025.