ANALYSING ORAL CANCER AND PRECANCER BURDEN IN INDIAN POPULATION

Abstract

Background: The incidence of oral cancer is rising quickly among Indian people, primarily in
the lower socioeconomic strata. Individuals who are economically and socially marginalised
are more susceptible to mouth cancer.
Aim: to determine the incidence of mouth cancer and precancerous lesions in participants who are Indian.
Methods: To determine the prevalence, the oral cavity of 658 participants was clinically
examined for any tissue growths, leathery changes, ulcerative changes, and white or red
lesions.
Results: In the current study, the overall prevalence of smoking and smokeless tobacco use was 65.2% (n=429) and 78.8% (n=518), respectively. Oral malignant and precancerous lesions were detected in 39.8% (n=262) of the samples. Of the individuals, 36.2% (n = 238) had positive
samples from the buccal mucosa, whereas 6.1% (n = 40) had positive samples from the labial
mucosa.
Conclusions: Due to the high rates of tobacco use and related behaviours, oral cancer is quite
common among Indian subjects, making the cessation centre a priority. To get better results,
early screening and detection are also essential.