## 1 Introduction  
Patients who are diagnosed with oral cancer display an exclusive set of challenging, sophisticated, and multidisciplinary clinical issues, and their survival rate and quality of life may be improved by early diagnosis [1]. Oral cavity cancer is one of the most common malignancies, not only in developing countries but also in the evolved world [2]. According to World Health Organization's (WHO) World Cancer Report 2014, oropharyngeal and oral cavity cancers are the seventh most frequently diagnosed cancers and are the ninth malignancy in terms of mortality in the world [3]. The annual estimation of oral cancer incidence is around 275,000 and pharyngeal cancer incidence is around 130,300 excluding nasopharynx, and two-thirds of these cases occur in developing countries [4].  
Risk factors of oral cancer may differ in specific cultural and socioeconomic populations. Tobacco and alcohol consumption are the most compelling risk factors for the development of oral cavity cancer. The synergetic effect of tobacco and alcohol increases the oral cancer risk about 24-fold [5]. Oral cancers are diagnosed generally in patients between the ages of 55 and 64 years, and men exhibit a greater risk than women. In addition to consumption of alcohol and tobacco, other risk factors including betel quid chewing,low consumption of fruits and vegetables, excessive exposure to sunlight, and human papilloma virus infection are associated with large relative risks [6]. The way of living is an important risk factor for oral cancers, therefore the motivation of the patients' has an important role for awareness of oral cancer to adjust their behavior and lessen their chance of getting cancer [7].  
In the earliest stage of oral cancer, most patients are asymptomatic. Lesions might be barely visible in the early stage and the physician may not notice it on routine examination. However, patients may show some symptoms, such as nonspecific pain, tooth mobility, bleeding, difficulty while speaking, dysphagia, pain during swallowing, ear pain, sensory and motor nerve deficits, mass lesions, or cervical lymphadenopathy [8].  
Early periods of oral cancer which are localized stages are noticed at the rate of 30%. If these lesions are noticed at localized stages, survival rates could be raised by 50%. Even if the treatment has succeeded, usually the quality of life severely decreases. Treatment of oral cancers can vary as follows: radiation, surgery, and chemotherapy. Treatments can usually inflict physical harm, lead to tooth destruction, and also can cause salivary gland problems and other head and neck tissue damage [9].  
Previous researchers have shown that a lack of public awareness about the signs, symptoms, and risk factors of oral cancer can lead to delayed diagnosis and insufficient prognosis [10; 11]. Improvement in the knowledge about signs, symptoms, and early detection of oral cancer among people could help the prevention, early detection, and improved prognosis of the disease [12]. Dentistry faculties have a developmental function and play a significant role in educating patients about oral cancer. To the best of our knowledge, there are no previous oral cancer awareness survey reports in North Cyprus. It is hoped that the outcomes of this survey may establish the foundation of the North Cyprus database aimed at identifying the awareness and knowledge of oral cancer among dental patients. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the level of public knowledge about signs, symptoms, knowledge, and risk factors of oral cancer among dental patients who were referred to a university dental hospital in North Cyprus.