Abstract
Objective: To determine the level of knowledge concerning oral cancer among a sample of elderly people with various sociodemographic characters, behavior, and dental visits in Depok City, Indonesia. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study of oral cancer awareness was conducted among 100 elderly people in Depok City using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. We collected information regarding sociodemographic data regarding age, gender, marital status, education, health insurance, risk factors and early signs of oral cancer, and questions related to lifestyle factors relevant to oral cancer, including smoking, drinking alcohol, tobacco chewing, betel quid chewing, and dental visits. Data were analyzed through the Statistical Package for Social Sciences and presented through descriptive and inferential statistics. Statistical significance level was set at p<0.05. Results: 64% of respondents have poor knowledge of the oral cancer risk factors, while only 25% of respondents have sound knowledge of the early signs of oral cancer. There was a significant difference in the level of oral cancer knowledge according to gender (p=0.01), level of education (p=0.008), smoking behavior (p=0.03), and dental visits (p=0.01). Conclusion: The oral cancer knowledge among elderly people in Depok City is still lacking. Further, some sociodemographic factors influence the level of oral cancer knowledge.
Highlights
Oral cancer is a highly prevalent disease, being ranked sixth in terms of prevalence among all the cancers worldwide [1,2]
The second part consisted of 17 questions related to the risk factors and early signs of oral cancer, which required yes/no responses, as well as five questions related to lifestyle factors relevant to oral cancer, including smoking, drinking alcohol, tobacco chewing, betel quid chewing, and dental visits
This study revealed that 10% of subjects could not provide one correct answer and, surprisingly, 54% of subjects reported that they did not know anything about the risk factors for oral cancer
Summary
Oral cancer is a highly prevalent disease, being ranked sixth in terms of prevalence among all the cancers worldwide [1,2]. The prevalence of oral cancer has reached 300 million people or. 2.1% of the total number of cancer cases recorded globally [2]. In China, the incidence of oral cancer was recorded as 0.7 per 100,000 people, while in India it was recorded as 20 cases per 100,000 inhabitants [2]. South Asia and Southeast Asia are the regions with the highest prevalence of oral cancer [2,3]. Oral cancer is categorized as a disease with a low survival rate (
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