Risk Factors For Oral Cancer Research Articles

Comparison of knowledge, awareness, and behaviors toward oral cancer among dental students and dentists: an online cross-sectional questionnaire in Türkiye

ObjectiveThis cross-sectional online questionnaire-based study evaluated the knowledge, awareness, and behaviors of dentists and senior dental students regarding oral cancer (OC).Materials and methodsThis study included 168 dentists and senior dental students who had completed all theoretical educations and clinical practices. An online survey was administered to all participants to assess their awareness of the risk factors for OC, clinical knowledge, and behaviors. The participants’ demographic characteristics and knowledge of OC were analyzed.ResultsOf the participants, 48.8% were female and 51.2% were male. Their mean age was 27.04 ± 5.56 years (range: 21–51). In addition, 59.5% were dentists, and 40.5% were senior dental students. The dentists’ mean time since graduation was 6.38 ± 5.64 years (range: 1–27). Routine oral mucosa examination for OC was significantly more frequent among the dentists than the senior dental students (p < 0.05). Among all participants, 33% of dentists and 51.5% of senior dental students had poor knowledge of OC-related or possibly predisposing factors. Routine evaluation of OC-related and predisposing risk factors, including human papillomavirus infection, smoking, alcohol use, trauma-related non-healing oral lesions caused by long-term incompatible prostheses, and poor oral hygiene, was significantly more frequent among the dentists than the senior dental students (p < 0.05).ConclusionEducating dental students about a more comprehensive oral examination and early diagnosis of OC would help overcome the current lack of adequate knowledge and attitudes in OC prevention and early detection. A core curriculum compatible with the global standards on OC should be provided to dental students.

Dental hygienists' knowledge, performance confidence and awareness of importance of assessing oral cancer risk factors.

To assess the knowledge, confidence and awareness of the importance of assessing oral cancer risk among dental hygienists working in Korea and to provide data for the development of theoretical and technical curricula related to oral cancer prevention tasks. Questionnaires were distributed to 195 dental hygienists, recruited from an online posting. Survey questions were related to the study objectives and demographic characteristics of the participants. An independent t-test and one-way Analysis of Variance were performed to determine the relationships between study variables and participant demographic characteristics. Seventy-five percent of the participants agreed that it is necessary to conduct oral cancer risk factor assessment for patients, while 46% agreed it was the duty of dental hygienists. The percentage of participants responding correctly to oral cancer risk factors and to oral cancer characteristics ranged from 98% to 31%. Participants with a master's degree or higher and those with oral cancer education experience were significantly (p < 0.003, p < 0.007, respectively) more aware of the importance of assessing oral cancer risk factors. Participants, who performed non-treatment-related work, had significantly (p < 0.046) greater performance confidence than that of clinicians. In addition, 52.5% of the participants had no prior education in oral cancer and 80.8% agreed that additional education and training were required. To improve dental hygienists' knowledge of oral cancer risk factors, it is important to provide specific knowledge, and an educational curriculum is necessary that allows incorporating medical interviews, visual inspections and palpation for comprehensive assessments.

Association of exposure factors and their causal relationship with oral cancer: A Mendelian randomization study.

There is a strong association among risk factors for oral cancer (ORCA), such as smoking, alcohol consumption, fiber intake, and red meat intake. The apparent synergistic effects reported in previous observational studies may also underestimate the independent effects. Our study aims to further explore the potential etiology and causality of oral cancer. This study used the genome-wide associations study database (GWAS) in European populations for Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to explore exposure factors associated with ORCA and detect the genetic causality between these exposures and ORCA risk. Our results demonstrated that in univariate MR analysis, the five exposure factors (celery intake, average weekly beer and cider intake, spirits intake, and pork intake) were risk factors, and oily fish intake was a safety factor, but in multivariate MR analysis, pork intake had the greatest impact on oral cancer when the five food/drink intakes were simultaneously consumed. The causal relationship between the five exposure factors (oily fish intake, celery intake, pork intake, average weekly beer and cider intake, and spirits intake) and oral cancer was analyzed. The causal effects of pork on oral cancer may be underestimated. Prevention of oral cancer requires better education about lifestyle-related risk factors, and improved awareness and tools for early diagnosis. Our study provides some risk factors that cannot be ignored for the cause prevention of oral cancer, such as pork intake, and its role in oral cancer prevention and control.

Prevalence and risk factors of oral potentially malignant disorders in Indonesia: a cross-sectional study undertaken in 5 provinces

Detection of subjects with oral potentially malignant disorders in a population is key to early detection of oral cancer (OC) with consequent reduction of cancer-related morbidity and mortality. Our aim was to investigate the prevalence and associated risk factors for OPMD in representative provinces of Indonesia. This cross-sectional study was undertaken in five Indonesian provinces: West Java (WJ), Jakarta (JKT), West Papua (WP), West Kalimantan (WK) and Banda Aceh (BA). Respondents answered a previously validated questionnaire including information on ethnicity, occupation, socioeconomic status (SES), oral health practices, and behaviours associated with oral cancer. An oral examination was undertaken using WHO standardized methodology. Data were analysed using ANOVA, Chi-Square, and logistic regression to assess association between risk factors and mucosal disease. A total of 973 respondents between the ages of 17 and 82 years was enrolled (WJ 35.5%,JKT 13.3% WP 18.3%, WK 9%, BA 23.9%). Tobacco smoking (14.8%), Betel quid (BQ) chewing (12.6%) and alcohol drinking (4%) varied geographically. A well-established OPMD was detected in 137 (14.1%) respondents and 2 (0.2%) presented with chronic ulceration later diagnosed as OC. Leukoplakia was the most common OPMD found (9.7%), while the prevalence of oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF), not previously described in the nation, was 2.3%. Poor knowledge of OC risk factors, poor oral hygiene behaviours, low-income SES and ethnicity were significantly associated with the presence of an OPMD. There is a previously under-reported high prevalence of OPMD in Indonesia. Overall, we found a strong correlation between the presence of an OPMD and individual habituation to known risk factors.

Knowledge of Oral Cancer among Dental Patients in South-Southern Nigeria

Background: Despite recent advances in the detection and treatment of oral cancer (OC), the rate of late presentation by patients is still high. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge about the risk factors and early signs of OC among dental patients in a Nigerian secondary health facility.&#x0D; Methods: This descriptive cross sectional study design recruited all consecutive patients at the Stella Obasanjo Hospital, Edo state, Nigeria. Data were obtained using a self-administered questionnaire which was given to all participants that gave written informed consent. Data was collected and analysed&#x0D; Results: All the 250 respondents approached agreed to participate in the present study. The age range was 18 to 84 years with a mean age of 34.1±12.2 years. There were 71(28.4%) males and 179(71.6%) females. Only 140(56.0%) of the respondents were aware of OC and 70(50.0%) of them had the information from internet/ mass media. Only 65(25.6%) were certain that old age is a risk factor of OC. The age, gender, place of residence, level of education and occupation of the respondents did not significantly affect the level of awareness of the respondents (p &gt; 0.05).&#x0D; Conclusion: The knowledge of risk factors and early signs of OC was unsatisfactory in the patients. The demographic features of the respondents were not related to the level of awareness of OC.

Exploring the Risk Factors for Oral Cancer in Pakistan: A Systematic Literature Review.

Oral cancer is one of the major public health issues in Pakistan and is the second most common malignancy in the country. This is mainly attributed to the widespread use of smokeless tobacco products, cigarettes, and paan without tobacco. This review aims to go beyond commonly discussed factors and, consequently, to provide a comprehensive picture of all the multi-faceted contributors to the high prevalence of the carcinoma of the oral cavity, including the role of human papillomavirus and genetic predisposition. The aim is to synthesise all available evidence on the predisposing factors of oral carcinoma in Pakistan. This is a comprehensive systematic review of all observational studies investigating the contributing factors of malignancy of the oral cavity in Pakistan, and it strictly follows the PRISMA guidelines. Multiple databases, such as PubMed, EBSCO CINAHL Plus, SCOPUS, and Ovid Medline, were used to find studies, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews was searched for existing/ongoing reviews carried out on the same topic. A meta-synthesis of selected studies was carried out to create robust and statistically valid conclusions. ST and cigarette smoking were found to be the major contributors to the burden of carcinoma of the lip and oral cavity. The included studies indicated that genetic predisposition and human papillomavirus could be major risk factors for the disease in the Pakistani population, but not enough research has been carried out to find their true impact. Smokeless tobacco, cigarette smoking, genetic predisposition, and human papillomavirus can be considered significant risk factors for oral cancer in Pakistan.

Oral cancer and salivary biomarkers in its early diagnosis: A review of literature

Oral cancer (OC), the sixth most common cancer, is one of the leading public health problems worldwide, which is mainly represented by oral squamous cell carcinoma. Smoking and alcohol consumption are considered risk factors for OC. The major hindrance regarding OC is delayed diagnosis at the advanced clinical stages (i.e., III or IV), which affects its morbidity and mortality rates with a minimum 5-year survival rate of 20%–25%. Recurrences and metastasis often occur in more than 80% of patients within the first 2 years, even after primary treatment. Although a histological investigation is available as the gold standard of OC diagnosis, the application of noninvasive methods, including liquid biopsy, has been the focus of recent studies. In cancer diagnosis and health surveillance, saliva as a noninvasive and cost-effective bio-fluid containing several biomarkers, including metabolites, circulating tumor and tissue-derived cells, cytokines, DNA, RNA, and exosomes, has promising potential. Therefore, the improvement of salivary biomarkers is an utmost need for early cancer detection, particularly in the oral cavity and oropharynx, which gained the interest of most researchers and clinicians. The current review aimed to discuss the emerging issues of the most recent data on salivary biomarkers with particular attention to the potential early detection markers in OC. In addition, we report our previous findings on salivary biomarkers and their clinical significance as potentials in diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring of OC.

Understanding the Invisible Threat: A Study on Oral Cancer Risk Factors among Medical Recipients

Understanding the Invisible Threat: A Study on Oral Cancer Risk Factors among Medical Recipients

Disease burden and attributable risk factors of lip and oral cavity cancer in China from 1990 to 2021 and its prediction to 2031.

This study addresses the essential need for updated information on the burden of lip and oral cavity cancer (LOC) in China for informed healthcare planning. We aim to estimate the temporal trends and the attributable burdens of selected risk factors of LOC in China (1990-2021), and to predict the possible trends (2022-2031). Analysis was conducted using data from the Global Burden of Disease study (GBD) 2021, encompassing six key metrics: incidence, mortality, prevalence, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and years of life lost (YLLs). Absolute number and age-standardized rates, alongside 95% uncertainty intervals, were computed. Forecasting of disease burden from 2022 to 2031 was performed using an autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model. Over the observed period (1990-2021), there were notable increases in the number of deaths (142.2%), incidence (283.7%), prevalence (438.0%), DALYs (109.2%), YLDs (341.2%), and YLLs (105.1%). Age-standardized rates demonstrated notable changes, showing decreases and increases of -5.8, 57.3, 143.7, -8.9%, 85.8%, and - 10.7% in the respective metrics. The substantial majority of LOC burden was observed among individuals aged 40-79 years, and LOC may exhibit a higher burden among males in China. From 2022 to 2031, the age-standardized rate of incidence, prevalence, and YLDs of LOC showed upward trends; while mortality, DALYs, and YLLs showed downward trends, and their estimated values were predicted to change to 2.72, 10.47, 1.11, 1.10, 28.52, and 27.43 per 100,000 in 2031, respectively. Notably, tobacco and high alcohol use emerged as predominant risk factors contributing to the burden of LOC. Between 1990 and 2021, the disability burden from LOC in China increased, while the death burden decreased, and projections suggest these trends will persist over the next decade. A significant portion of this disease burden to modifiable risk factors, specifically tobacco use and excessive alcohol consumption, predominantly affecting males and individuals aged 40-79 years. Attention to these areas is essential for implementing targeted interventions and reducing the impact of LOC in China.

Oral Health Status and Treatment Needs among Patients with Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders – A Cross-sectional Study

Background: Oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) such as oral leukoplakia, erythroplakia, lichen planus, and oral submucous fibrosis have been shown to have a high rate of transformation to oral cancer. Although many studies have already been done on the risk factors of OPMDs and oral cancer, there are only a few literature on oral health status of patients suffering from OPMDs in Indian scenario. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the oral health status and treatment needs of patients with OPMDs. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was carried out at the Department of Oncology, Rajarajeswhwari Medical college and hospital and Outpatient Department of Rajarajeswari Dental College and Hospital in Bengaluru after obtaining required permission from the concerned authorities and due ethical clearance. Clinical examination was conducted using the World Health Organization Oral Health Assessment Form for Adults, 2013. Results: Majority of the participants were males, with an age range of 21–75 years, and majority were suffering from leukoplakia (49.9%). Decayed, missing, and filled tooth component was statistically significant (P &lt; 0.05) when comparing mean Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth scores between age, gender, and socioeconomic status. The highest CPI score (score of 2) was found highest in participants (32.47%) with leukoplakia. Regarding the treatment needs, about 94.5% of the participants needed prompt treatment (including scaling). Conclusion: Results revealed that the oral health status of participants with OPMD was average. The CPI score (periodontal status) was high in most participants with OPMD, with the maximum score of 2 found in a large number of participants.

Prevalence of tobacco and areca-nut use among patients attending dental teaching hospital in the central province of Sri Lanka and its association with oral mucosal lesions; a cross sectional study

IntroductionTobacco and areca-nut are risk factors for oral cancer and potentially malignant disorders. Oral cancer is ranked as the commonest among males in Sri Lanka (18.4 %). This research aims to determine the prevalence of tobacco and areca-nut use and its association with oral lesions. MethodIt is a cross-sectional study using 368 patients attending the Dental Diagnostic Clinic. Details of tobacco and areca-nut use were collected and participants were examined for mucosal lesions. ResultsIt revealed that 23.9 % had tobacco use. Out of these, 41.1 %, 22.2 % and 36.7 % had smokeless-tobacco use, smoking and both, respectively. Similarly, 25.3 % had areca-nut/betel-quid use and majority (72.8 %) added tobacco to it. Tobacco (93.2 %) and areca-nut (79.6 %) use was higher among males (p < 0.05). Significant associations of areca-nut use with age (p = 0.001) and education level (p = 0.025) were noted. Oral lesions like de-pigmentation, white patches, ulcers, growths and oral sub-mucous fibrosis (OSF) had prevalences of 2.4 % each. Prevalence of pigmentation, lobulated tongue and erosive lesions was 10.6 %, 4.6 % and 1.4 %, respectively. 32.6 % had abnormalities like linea-alba, periodontal problems, pericoronitis and hairy tongue. The study revealed that >90 % of those who used tobacco and areca-nut had oral lesions (p < 0.05). ConclusionThe prevalence of tobacco and areca-nut use is high among patients attending the Dental Teaching Hospital, and its association with mucosal lesions is significant. Hence regular awareness programs on the adverse effects of tobacco and areca-nut use should be carried out at the Diagnostic clinic as a preventive measure.

General dentists' knowledge, perceptions, and practices regarding oral potentially malignant disorders and oral cancer in Indonesia.

The most effective means for reducing oral cancer (OC) mortality is by preventing late-stage disease. Early diagnosis can be improved by increasing awareness among healthcare providers, specifically general dental practitioners (GDP). Therefore, our study aimed to assess GDPs'knowledge of OC risk factors and perceived competence in performing conventional oral examination (COE) in routine dental practice. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in five provinces of Indonesia, namely: Aceh, Banda Aceh (BA); Bandung, West Java (WJ); special district Jakarta (JKT), JKT; Pontianak, West Kalimantan (WK); and Sorong, West Papua (WP). The local Dental Association or Faculty of Dentistry invited the GDPs to attend an education program and complete the survey. One hundred seventy-sevenGDPs completed the survey (WJ, n = 63; BA, n = 44, JKT, n = 27; WP, n = 23; and WP, n = 20). A large proportion (164 out of 177, 92.66%) of GDPs felt they had received insufficient training to equip them to diagnose OC and as many as 22.6% (n = 40) did not refer to specialists when they found suspicious mucosal lesions. Notwithstanding the significant regional variations, the majority of Indonesian GDPs self-reported inadequate knowledge and awareness of OC and scarce confidence in performing COE. GDP knowledge of OC risk factors and COE is key to improving early diagnosis of OC at a community level. Therefore, it is suggested that the lack of knowledge and confidence of GDPs reported here should be addressed through the national dental curriculum in Indonesia.

Risk Factors of Oral Carcinoma in a Tertiary Level Hospital in Bangladesh

Background: Cancer continues to be a major health problem despite advances in medical technology for its diagnosis and treatment. Oral cancer is the eighth most common cancer in the world. Oral cancer is a multifactorial disease- smoking, betel-nut and betel-leaf chewing habit, bad oral hygiene, and drinking alcohol are the most important factors associated with oral cancer Objectives: To identify the risk factors of oral cancer in a tertiary level hospital in Bangladesh. Methods: A total of 52 patients, aged between fifth to seventh decades, were included in this observational type of cross-sectional study. The study was conducted over the period of six months, from March to August, 2016, in the department of ENT &amp; Head Neck surgery in Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Dhaka. Patients were randomly assigned to one of three groups by card sampling. Results: Among the 52 patients with oral cavity carcinoma, 30(57.69%) were males and 22(42.31%) females. Most patients were from rural areas (30, 57.69%), including agricultural workers 17(32.69%), daily labourers (5, 9.62%), fishermen (3, 5.77%) and others (5, 9.62%). High-risk habits were prevalent among the cases, with 24(46.14%) engaged in Pan (betel leaf) chewing and 15(28.85%) in smoking. Clinical features included ulceration, neck lump, pain, swelling, dysphagia, and bleeding. The most affected areas were buccal mucosa (19, 36.54%) and oral tongue (14, 26.92%). Histopathologically, 27(42.31%) were well-differentiated, 22(51.92%) moderately differentiated, and 3(5.77%) poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. The study provides insights into the demographics and characteristics of oral cavity carcinoma patients. Conclusion: Personal habits like pan, betel-nut, tobacco chewing, ignorance, lack of proper education of oral hygiene, lack of medical facilities and poor referral system are the common factors for aggressiveness of the disease. Journal of Monno Medical College, June 2023; 9 (1): 11-14

Global health trends of human papillomavirus‐associated oral cancer: A review

AbstractOral cancer is a malignant neoplastic disease, it constitutes the most common cancer in the head‐and‐neck region, and it is the 16th most common and 15th deadliest cancer type affecting humans. Despite the global efforts channelled towards global cancer control, the burden of oral cancer is still increasing. Every year, several thousands of people across 195 countries/territories die of oral cancer, and only about 40%–50% of the victims of oral cancer barely survive for 5 years after diagnosis. Within the past few decades, there has been a paradigm shift in the epidemiological trend of oral cancer risk factors. Oral sex – a major route of transmission of human papillomavirus (HPV) – was found to be increasing at an alarming rate, whereas tobacco and alcohol use had been on the decline. This narrative review critically discussed the contemporary challenges facing the global eradication of HPV‐associated oral cancer, with reasonable recommendations. The challenges discussed in this review are major, ranging from clinical to public health policy issues, which include the lack of validated and inexpensive oral HPV screening and diagnostic tools, high global public illiteracy on oral HPV infection, diverse sociocultural factors, weak global research capacity on oral HPV infection and HPV‐associated oral cancer and the absence of policies across different countries on national preventive programmes on HPV‐associated oral cancer. This review also identified the need for more attention towards the prevention and control oral HPV infection and HPV‐associated oral cancers globally.

KNOWLEDGE, AWARENESS AND PRACTICE REGARDING ORAL CANCER AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AND INTERNS IN A DENTAL HOSPITAL

Background: Oral cancer is one of the three most common types of cancer and 2nd most common cancer in males in Nepal. The main causes of oral cancer are the consumption of tobacco, areca nuts, alcohol, betel nuts etc Very few studies have been done in Nepal regarding awareness of Oral Cancer among college-going students. Since future doctors will also be responsible for the prevention and management of Oral cancer, it prompted us to conduct a study to evaluate the awareness, knowledge and practice regarding Oral cancer. Methods: This cross-sectional study was done after the clearance from the Institutional Review Committee. The study sample was among the 700 BDS and MBBS Students and Interns who responded through the Google Forms questionnaire online, within 1 month. The questionnaire consisted of 10 validated questions, related to Oral cancer. The results were tabulated in Microsoft Excel/ spreadsheet by Google. Descriptive statistics were obtained and frequency and percentages were calculated. Results: Among the 405 participants, only 15.5% routinely examined the oral mucosa, 98.51% are going to advised the patients regarding the risk factors of oral cancer, 79.25% felt they had not been sufficiently taught to diagnose oral cancer, 82.71% felt that they were inadequately informed about clinical appearance of oral cancer, 86.91% felt that they have inadequate knowledge concerning prevention and detection of oral cancer and 60% said they are going to refer a patient with suspected oral lesion to oral medicine. Conclusions: There is an overall lack of awareness among the participants regarding the requirement to routinely examine the oral cavity. The participants do not have adequate knowledge and awareness regarding oral cancer prevention and early detection.

Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS): a strategy for smoking cessation or a new risk factor for oral health?

A search was conducted in PubMed and Cochrane Library databases for articles published in English between January 2012 and October 2022. Articles were selected using both the term "electronic nicotine delivery system" (ENDS), as per the Medical Subject Heading (MeSH), in conjunction with specific oral domains. In vitro studies, animal models, unregistered clinical trials, and articles with conflicts of interest were excluded. Clinical and public health studies comparing ENDS users, smokers, and non-smokers in the context of oral-related diseases were included. Results from duplicate articles were not considered. The study indicates a potential carcinogenic effect due to cytogenotoxicity from intrinsic components of ENDS. However, this does not establish ENDS as an independent risk factor for oral cancer. ENDS use may alter the oral microbiome, leading to increased biofilm adhesion and potential associations with caries, periodontal disease, and peri-implantitis. The wide variety of flavors available in the ENDS market is a significant factor influencing initiation and long-term use by young people. ENDS users are susceptible to periodontal disease, caries, soft tissue injuries, and changes in tooth and prosthesis coloration. The chemical components in ENDS can induce cellular changes associated with a potential risk of oral cancer. However, more long-term studies are required to fully understand the impact of ENDS use on oral health.

Risk factors for oral cancer: Thematic trends and research agenda

Context: Oral cancer is difficult to define due to several factors. It's known as oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and is common in the head and neck. Geographic variations in the impact of OSCC highlight the need for research on risk factors and treatment trends. Aims: To identify the main research trends of studies on oral cancer risk factors in the scientific literature in the Scopus database and Web of Science. Methods: This was an exploratory study of the risk factors for oral cancer designed considering the eligibility criteria defined by the PRISMA-2020 international statement, that is, inclusion and exclusion. Results: A total of 215 documents from Scopus and Web of Science were subjected to bibliometric analysis. The years 2020 and 2021 were the most productive, with 18 and 22 articles, respectively. The leading author in productivity and impact was Johnson N, the leading journal was Oral Oncology, followed by the International Journal of Cancer, and the main contributing countries were the United States, the United Kingdom and India. The main thematic cluster was composed of concepts such as Tobacco and Alcohol as the major risk factors; concepts such as Mortality or Head and Neck were positioned as emerging within the scientific literature. Conclusions: The main risk factors, i.e., alcohol and tobacco consumption, are relevant in terms of mortality in the consumer population, which is why their role should be determined in future studies.

Presence of Candida and its associated factors in participants attending oral cancer screening in the lower northeastern area of Thailand

BackgroundCertain evidence indicated high prevalence of Candida in oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) and oral cancer (OC). This study was aimed to investigate the presence of Candida and its associated factors in participants who attended the oral cancer screening program in the lower northeastern districts of Thailand.MethodsConvenient participants residing in the lower northeastern districts of Thailand who attended the oral cancer screening were enrolled. A questionnaire retrieving demographic characteristics, risk factors of oral cancer, and risk of having Candida was completed. Oral examination was performed by oral medicine specialists or oral surgeons. The participants were categorized into 4 groups according to their clinical diagnosis, namely normal oral mucosa (NOM), OPMDs/OC, non-OPMDs/OC and clinically suspected oral candidiasis (CSOC). Stimulated saliva flow rate was measured. Dip-slide test was performed in each participant to evaluate the presence of Candida. The levels of Candida were categorized into high and low levels according to the score received from the dip-slide test. Factors associated with high levels of Candida were identified using multivariate logistic regression analysis.ResultsA total of 577 participants were recruited. High levels of Candida were found in 31.3%, 24.7%, 25.9% and 18.1% in the OPMDs/OC, the non-OPMDs/OC, the CSOC and the NOM groups, respectively. According to multivariate logistic regression analysis, age above 60 years, female gender, betel quid chewing habit, use of denture, hyposalivation, and being in the CSOC group were found to be significantly associated with high levels of Candida.ConclusionHigher number of participants in the OPMDs/OC group was found to have high levels of Candida. Increasing age, female gender, betel quid chewing habit, use of denture, hyposalivation and having CSOC lesions were associated with high levels of Candida.

Ill-Fitting Dental Appliances and Oral Cancer: A Systematic Review and Case Report

Background: Associations between the use of dental appliances and oral cancer remain controversial. No studies have reported a relationship between dental appliances in the setting of cleft palate management and oral cancer. This study characterizes the correlation between dental appliances and oral cancer and includes a case report of a patient with a history of cleft palate repair who later developed oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Methods: We performed a systematic review for studies from 1980 to 2022 of patients who had dental prostheses and who were subsequently diagnosed with OSCC. Variables included the percentage of OSCC cases wearing dental appliances, intraoral cancer location, and noted associations between reported risk factors and OSCC. Results: Of the 6323 patients from the 31 articles analyzed, the most common specified locations for the neoplastic lesion were at the gingiva and lateral border of the tongue. Seventeen studies found an association between OSCC and denture use (54.8%), while 9 studies (29.0%) specifically found a positive association between oral sores and OSCC. Our case patient had complete dental extraction at the age of 12 with subsequent life-long dentures. At age 69, he presented with invasive OSCC. Conclusions: Chronic irritation from ill-fitted dental appliances are associated with oral sores and cancer. This study reports a cleft palate repair patient with lifelong use of dentures who presented with OSCC despite having no known risk factors for oral cancer.

The hidden menace of smokeless tobacco in Pakistan: understanding the risks and possible solutions; a letter to the editor

The hidden menace of smokeless tobacco in Pakistan: understanding the risks and possible solutions; a letter to the editor