Oral Disease Incidence in Patients Complaining of Stomatitis in Japan After a Sudden Increase in Public Awareness of the Condition

Abstract

Aim/Background: Stomatitis is generally considered a mild disease; thus, patients are often satisfied with over-the-counter medications and do not visit hospitals. Following reports of tongue cancer in a famous actress with stomatitis in Japan, many patients complaining of stomatitis who did not usually visit hospitals flooded dental clinical offices/hospitals for several months. This study evaluated the differences in profile between patients who regularly visit the university hospital and those who are affected by social impact and wish to be screened for stomatitis and the effect of social impact on the number of new patients. Materials and Methods: “Stomatitis” search rates on Japanese websites were calculated using Google Keyword Planner. Using the hospital’s electronic health record, the profiles of new patients with a main complaint of stomatitis were investigated via the data visualization tool Qlik sense®. Results: During the 3-month rush period, in which keyword searches for “stomatitis” increased, the number of new patients with a main complaint of stomatitis increased two-fold compared with that during usual periods. The incidences of stomatitis and carcinoma were approximately 30% and 10%, respectively, for the rush and normal periods at initial diagnosis. Conclusion: High social interest in oral disease prompted latent patients with stomatitis to visit dental clinical offices/hospitals and consequently contributed to the early detection of oral cancer.