Journal
JOURNAL OF INVESTIGATIVE AND CLINICAL DENTISTRY
Volume 7, Issue 3, Pages 294-303Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/jicd.12158
Keywords
awareness; oral cancer; risk factors; signs and symptoms; survey
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Objective: To assess the awareness and knowledge on oral cancer in a general population of Oporto city, in Portugal. Methods: Face-to-face interviews were performed with 1116 individuals, resident in the city of Oporto. Participants' socio-demographic information, lifestyle habits and awareness, knowledge and beliefs on oral cancer were ascertained. Results: Breast cancer was the most mentioned being as heard of (69.8%), while oral cancer was one of the least heard of (23.7%). Tobacco was identified as a risk factor by 54.8% of individuals and this knowledge was associated with their education level (P < 0.001), dentist visits (P = 0.026), and tobacco consumption (P < 0.001). Fewer subjects (24.6%) referred to alcohol as a risk factor, and this knowledge was associated with their education level (P = 0.020) and dentist visits (P = 0.002). More than half the subjects (58.8%) could not identify any sign or symptom of oral cancer. Conclusion: There is a general lack of awareness on oral cancer among this Oporto population. Higher education level and better oral health care were significant factors that identified individuals with a better awareness and knowledge of oral cancer, suggesting that educational measures could be useful for the prevention and early diagnosis of oral cancer in the Portuguese population.
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