口腔潜在恶性疾病（OPMDs）的正确鉴定为口腔癌的预防提供了机会。本研究旨在评估牙科卫生专业人员对OPMDs鉴定的能力，从而通过早期发现降低口腔恶性肿瘤的发生率。在澳大利亚，将一个包含26个口腔黏膜病变案例的在线问卷分发给了363名牙科卫生专业人员和牙医学生。参与者根据所提供的信息为每个案例提供初步诊断。总体上，在鉴定口腔黏膜病变方面，准确率为65.9%。牙科专科医生、普通牙医和最后一年的牙医学生在整体诊断准确率上没有显著差异（p> 0.05）。最低的诊断准确率与正常黏膜变异和OPMDs有关。博士前牙科课程在诊断口腔黏膜病变方面显示出统计学显著的改进。参与者对于识别OPMDs的知识不足明显，凸显出澳大利亚减少口腔癌发病率的不乐观情况。当前的继续职业发展体系需要全面修正，以确保澳大利亚的牙科卫生提供者具有足够的知识。© 2023 The Authors. Oral Diseases published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.

Proper identification of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) provides an opportunity for oral cancer prevention. This study aims to assess the competency of dental health professionals in identifying OPMDs and, in turn, reducing the incidence of oral malignancy by early detection.A 26-case online questionnaire of oral mucosal lesions was distributed to cohorts of 363 dental health professionals and dental students in Australia. The participants were asked to provide their provisional diagnosis for each case based on the available information.The overall accuracy in identifying oral mucosal lesions was 65.9%. There were no significant differences in the overall diagnostic accuracies between dental specialists, general dental practitioners and final-year dental students (p > 0.05). The lowest diagnostic accuracies were associated with normal mucosal variations and OPMDs. The predoctoral dental curriculum showed statistically significant values in terms of improving skills in diagnosing oral mucosal lesions.Lack of adequate knowledge in identifying OPMDs was evident among the participants, highlighting a non-promising figure in reducing the incidence of oral cancers in Australia. Comprehensive modifications of the current continuing professional development system are required to ensure adequate knowledge among dental health providers in Australia.© 2023 The Authors. Oral Diseases published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.