Awareness of Oral Cancer, Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders, and their Risk Factors among Dental Patients: A Cross-sectional Study

Oral cancer (OC) is the 6th most commonly reported malignancy worldwide.1 Among the various types of malignancy which occur in the oral cavity, 90% are oral squamous cell carcinomas.2 In India, due to varied cultural, ethnic, and geographic factors and the popularity of addictive habits, the frequency of OC is very high.3 It positions number one in terms of incidence among men and third among women. Oral cancer accounts for 30 to 40% of all the malignant tumors in India.4 Risk factors for OC include tobacco, alcohol, areca nut, dietary factors, mucosal diseases like oral epithelial dysplasia, oral lichen planus, oral submucous fibrosis, oral candida, HPV (human papillomavirus) infections, and rarely genetic disorders like dyskeratosis congenita and Fanconi’s anemia.2 Oral cancer is sometimes preceded by clinically visible lesions, which are noncancerous to begin with and which have therefore been termed “precancerous.” The following disorders are regarded as being potentially malignant: (1) Oral leukoplakia/erythroplakia, (2) oral submucous fibrosis, (3) palatal lesions in reverse smokers, although still somewhat questionable, (4) oral lichen planus, and (5) discoid lupus erythematosus.5 A large number of these oral mucosal lesions have a tendency to transform into malignancy. Most of the general public are being poorly informed about the risk of oral potentially malignant disorder (OPMD) and ways to prevent this disease. Early detection is of critical importance, and survival rates markedly improve when identified at early stage.6 With the above background, the present study was done with an objective to alert the study population regarding risk factors, thereby facilitating early prevention of OC.