Dr. B Borooah Cancer Institute (BBCI), Guwahati conducted a survey among the general public on awareness of oral cavity or mouth cancer. The survey was conducted by the Department of Preventive Oncology at BBCI.  A total of 250 participants were surveyed to understand different levels of awareness about mouth cancer. The age of survey participants ranged from 25 years to 59 years.

One hundred and twenty-four (49.6%) and 126 (50.4%) participants of the survey were men and women, respectively. Among the survey participants, 120 (48%) were from rural areas, 119 (47.6%) were from urban areas, and 11 (4.4%) participants were from semi-urban locations. In the survey, 98 (39.2%) participants were educated with postgraduate qualifications, 68 (27.2%) were graduates, and 84 (33.6%) participants had below graduate qualifications. It was seen that 12 (4.8%) survey participants did not know that cancer can occur in the mouth or oral cavity. Twenty-six (12.4%) respondents were completely unaware that tobacco chewing can cause mouth cancer. 

Of respondents who were aware, 218 (97.3%) responses noted that tobacco in any form was a risk factor for mouth cancer, 172 (76.7%) responses noted that areca nut chewing, khaini, zarda, etc consumption can result in mouth cancer, and poor dental hygiene as a risk for mouth cancer was seen in 120 (53.5%) responses. A total of 42 (16.8%) respondents do not know about presenting signs and symptoms of mouth cancer.

Shockingly, 67 (26.8%) respondents who participated in the survey never heard about oral cavity cancer screening for its early detection. It was seen in the survey that 120 (48%) respondents were unaware that people who are 30-60 years of age should get their mouth examined by a dentist or doctor or even trained healthcare worker every 3 years for good oral hygiene and prevention of oral cancer. Similarly, it was shocking to see 42 (16.8%) respondents were unaware that early detection of oral cancer can cure it. It was good to note from the survey that 138 (55.2%) respondents were aware of self-oral examination, which can detect early cancerous changes in the mouth.

According to Dr.Amal Chandra Kataki, Director of BBCI, awareness about cancer among the general public is a key stepping stone in the collective fight against it. The idea of conducting the survey is to understand the level of awareness among the general public on three common cancers in our population, namely, oral, breast, and uterine cervical cancers.

The results of the other two surveys will be out soon. The high proportion of people in the present survey were unaware about regular or timely visits for oral health check-ups, which means overall poor oral health of our population,  further informing Dr. Kataki.