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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.

Not yet recruiting

Opening soon. The study is approved but enrolment has not started yet. Sites may already take enquiries.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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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
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

  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
  2. Does not self-identify as African American or Black
  3. Does not self-identify as male
  4. Less than Age 18
  5. Does not reside or work in the UI Cancer Center catchment area
  6. Is a dental professional or dental student

Aim 1b Inclusion Criteria

  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
  5. 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
  6. Licensed as a general dentist in IL
  7. Age 18 and over
  8. Practice general dentistry in the University of Illinois Cancer Center catchment area
  9. Self-reported to provide general dentistry care to at least one Black male patient per week Exclusion Criteria

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  1. Not licensed as a general dentist in IL
  2. Not Age 18 and over
  3. Does not practice general dentistry in the University of Illinois Cancer Center catchment area
  4. 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

  1. Does not self-identify as African American or Black
  2. Does not self-identify as male
  3. Less than Age 18
  4. Dentists and/ or Dental Students

Aim 3b Inclusion Criteria for Dentists and/or Dental students

  1. Licensed as a general dentist or legally able to provide dental screenings under the direct supervision of a dentist licensed in Illinois
  2. Age 18 and over
  3. Practice general dentistry in the University of Illinois Cancer Center catchment area
  4. 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
  5. 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.

Patrick D Smith, DMD, MPH contact

312-492-2717

psmith26@uic.edu

Erica D Seltzer contact

312-413-7432

eseltzer@uic.edu

About this study

  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
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 groups in NCT07172776
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Pre-post surveyExperimentalParticipants 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.

  1. 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.

  1. First posted15 Sep 2025
  2. Study start1 Jan 2026 (estimated)
  3. Primary completion31 Dec 2026 (estimated)
  4. Study completion31 Dec 2027 (estimated)

Resources

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)
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

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.

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