Mouth Cancer Awareness in General Population: Results from Grampian Region of Scotland, United Kingdom

Abstract

Objectives The purpose of this project was to determine the level of mouth cancer awareness and to investigate the associated factors in a United Kingdom (UK) general population sample. Material and Methods Adult Dental Health Survey (2010) was conducted in a sample of 3,353 adult residents in the Grampian region of the UK (adjusted participation rate 58%). Participants completed a questionnaire consisting of questions on oral health, health behaviour, quality of life and cancer awareness. Results Overall, 81% of participants were aware of mouth cancer. This was associated with younger age, higher levels of education and better general health. Current smokers and alcohol drinkers were more aware of mouth cancer. When asked about risk factors for mouth cancer, the following were identified by the respondents: smoking (84%), poor oral hygiene (60%), drinking alcohol heavily (59%), poor diet (37%), stress (15%), being overweight (6%), drinking hot liquids (5%), eating spicy food (3%), using mouthwash (2%) and kissing someone (1%). Smokers were more likely to identify smoking as a risk factor for mouth cancer. Similarly, those who consumed alcohol almost daily were more likely to identify heavy alcohol drinking as a risk factor. Conclusions Awareness of mouth cancer is high in respondents from the general population, and participants were able to identify the most important risk factors. Knowledge of tobacco and alcohol as risk factors was highest amongst those exposed to them. The study proposed that the prevention strategies should focus not only on increasing knowledge, but also on changing health behaviour.

Oral cancer awareness among patients at 3 university hospitals in Poland and Germany: A survey research

“…The self-declared awareness of oral cancer correlated positively with age and no significant differences were found in terms of gender. This is consistent with some studies, 17 while other ones showed deficits in older patients and male respondents. 23 An important observation was that the awareness of risk factors and early signs of the disease correlates positively with the level of education, as shown in previous studies.…”

“…Over 65% of the respondents in our study had ever heard about oral cancer, which is comparable to the studies from different countries. [15][16][17] The sources of the information were, similarly to the other studies, mainly television, radio and newspapers, but the role of the Internet is gaining significance. [18][19][20] The fact that less than a quarter of respondents mentioned doctors as a source of information about oral cancer is alarming.…”

Does socioeconomic status influence oral cancer awareness? The role of public education

“…In a recent study in the United Kingdom, Kawecki et al, using the deprivation index, indicated lower knowledge of mouth cancer in the most deprived areas (41). These studies are in line with our study.…”

“…Age was recorded in date of birth and was categorised into groups of [25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45], and > 45 years.…”

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“…Most of the previous literature and people generally believed that those with a higher education level and higher living standard have higher awareness of oral cancer [25][26][27]. According to the results of this survey, the main factors affecting people's awareness of oral cancer were age, living standards, and oral hygiene habits.…”