Summary A case-control study on cancers of the oral cavity was conducted by utilising data from the population based cancer registry, Bangalore, India. Three hundred and forty-eight cases of cancers of the oral cavity (excluding base tongue) were age and sex matched with controls from the same residential area but with no evidence of cancer. The relative risk due to pan tobacco chewing was elevated in both males and females, being appreciably higher in the latter ( There have been five previous case-control studies on oral cancer from this part of the world (Orr, 1933; Shanta & Krishnamoorthy, 1959, 1963Hirayama, 1966;Sankarnarayanan et al., 1989)

In Bangalore, cancer of the oesophagus is the third most common cancer in males and fourth most common in females with average annual age-adjusted incidence rates of 8.2 and 8.9 per 100,000 respectively. A case-control investigation of cancer of the oesophagus was conducted based on the Population-based cancer registry, Bangalore, India. Three hundred and forty-three cases of cancer of the oesophagus were age and sex matched with twice the number of controls from the same area, but with no evidence of cancer. Chewing with or without tobacco was a significant risk factor. In both sexes chewing was not a risk factor for cancer of the upper third of the oesophagus. Among males, non-tobacco chewing was a significant risk factor for the middle third but not for the other two segments and tobacco chewing was a significant risk factor for the lower third of the oesophagus, but not for the other two segments. Bidi smoking in males was a significant risk factor for all three segments being highest for the upper third, less for the middle third and still less for the lower third. The risk of oesophageal cancer associated with alcohol drinking was significant only for the middle third.

Cancer of the ovary is the sixth leading cancer among females in Bangalore, and is a leading site of cancer in other population-based cancer registries in India. A case-control investigation was conducted utilizing the data from the population-based cancer registry in Bangalore. In addition to the core patient information, certain other details pertaining to consumption of tobacco, reproductive and obstetric factors and those related to the practice of family planning, including the method adopted, were available with the registry, for the period 1982-1985. Identical information was also available for patients residing in the registry area who did not have cancer. Ninety-seven cases of ovarian cancer in ever-married women were age-matched with 194 controls from the same area who showed no evidence of cancer. The risk of ovarian cancer was not influenced by tobacco habits, alcohol consumption, diet or the various reproductive factors. However, tubectomy as a method of family planning appeared to reduce the risk of development of ovarian cancer. This reduction in risk was not influenced by parity or age of the woman at the time of birth of the first child.

Background/Introduction For various reasons, the care demand from elderly people is low and difficult to determine, whereas their oral hygiene status would need urgent care. Objective To assess the oral hygiene status of institutionalized dependent elderly in Bangalore City, India. Methods A cross-sectional study of 322 dependent elderly patients was conducted at seven elderly homes of Bangalore City, India. The oral hygiene status recorded includes dental and prosthetic hygiene. Results The mean Debris Index and Plaque Index scores of dentate elderly were 2.87±0.22 and 3.17±0.40, respectively, the mean Denture Plaque and Denture Stomatitis scores were 3.15±0.47 and 1.43±0.68, respectively. Conclusion The dental hygiene was inadequate. This study emphasizes the care demand and the need for help in oral hygiene procedures for the dependent institutionalized elderly.

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