Oral cancer awareness and attitude toward its screening: A study among people with different occupations

Abstract

Background: The number of oral cancer cases is increasing in India. The prevalence of this disease is increasing in various occupational groups. Aims: This study aimed to assess the awareness of oral cancer and attitude toward screening and the prevalence of related habits and habit-related oral lesions among people with different occupations. Settings and Design: Sixteen closed-ended questions were used to assess the awareness of oral cancer. Responses were scored in accordance with the defined rules. Patients' attitude toward oral cancer screening was also assessed using ten additional questions under four headings. Information regarding the oral habits was recorded using the WHO steps questionnaire. Materials and Methods: Distribution of occupation in the study population was categorized as per the International Standard Classification of Occupations-08 structure and all the study samples ware clinically examined to diagnose any habit-related oral changes. Statistical Analysis Used: Student's independent sample's t-test was applied to compare normally distributed numerical variables between groups; unpaired proportions were compared by Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare the means of three or more samples for numerical data. Results and Conclusion: A statistically significant difference (P = 0.0001) in general awareness of oral cancer was seen among various occupational groups. The attitude toward oral cancer screening was assessed and found no statistically significant results, which signifies that significant motivation for oral cancer screening is required in different occupational workplaces.