SILENT THREATS: UNDERSTANDING GAPS IN AWARENESS OF ORAL CANCER AND PRECANCEROUS PATIENTS

Dr. Shivani Tawade*, Dr. Vishwas Kadam, Dr. Kapil Pawar, Dr. Lata Kale

ABSTRACT

Introduction: One of the serious health issues that impacts individuals worldwide is oral cancer (OC). In India, this type of cancer is the second most common. OC and other premalignant illnesses of the mouth are becoming more common. There is a lack of knowledge about oral squamous cell carcinoma, especially in lower socioeconomic nations. Important factors that may have contributed to the delayed diagnosis include the patient’s ignorance of the causes, self negligence, and the lesion’s modest and asymptomatic clinical appearance. The goal of this survey is to gather information on patients’ awareness about the precancerous lesions/oral illnesses and their potential to develop into the OC. Methodology: Sixteen closed ended questions regarding patients’ knowledge and awareness were included in the questionnaire. Results: The study found that among 90 patients, 86.7% chew/smoke tobacco daily. 82.1% chewed mostly smokeless tobacco for more than 5 years. 82.2% patients heard about OC, 52.2% patients noticed red/white patches in their mouth. 44.4% patients noticed that the lesion was increasing in size, and 51.1% did not notice bleeding from the lesions. 60% patients were having recurring lesions for longer time; but only 58.9% patients knew that such lesions can develop into OC. Conclusion: According to this study, a significant number of participants were aware about the correlation between tobacco chewing and OC and about the government’s treatment initiatives. Nonetheless, less than two thirds of patients were aware of the malignant potential of warning indicatorsincluding red or white patches and persistent lesions, despite the fact of experiencing them.

Keywords: Oral cancer, oral premalignant lesion, oral squamous cell carcinoma, tobacco chewing.