Public knowledge about oral cancer in Uganda: a free dental camp experience

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the levels of awareness and knowledge about oral cancer, its causes and or risk factors among Ugandan patients seeking oral healthcare. Design/methodology/approach This was a cross-sectional study on adult patients who attended a free dental camp. An assistant-administered questionnaire either in English or Luganda was provided to every even-numbered registered adult who consented to participate in the study. Information on demographics and known risk factors for oral cancer were captured. The two knowledge questions on oral cancers were scored by adding up all the correctly identified causes, non-causes and risk factors then scored out of the total. Data analysis was done by calculating proportions, Student’s’ t-tests and χ2 tests with significant p-value set at 0.05. Findings The results showed a low level of awareness/knowledge about oral cancer in studied population. In total, 60 percent and less than 50 percent of respondents identified smoking and alcohol use as risk factors for oral cancer, respectively. Majority of respondents (88.8 percent) would seek help from medical personnel if diagnosed with oral cancer. Screening for cancer was low despite awareness and knowledge that it improves the chances of successful treatment. Research limitations/implications Emphasis on risk factors including alcohol use in public health messages, use of mass media, religious and community leaders to disseminate messages to the communities and further research were recommended. Practical implications We need to emphasize the role of alcohol in oral cancer causation just as we do for tobacco consumption. Originality/value No study has been conducted in Uganda on the level of awareness yet the incidence of the disease and use of high-risk products are rising.

Oral cancer knowledge in adults evaluated through a phone survey in the context of the SARS-CoV2 health emergency in Colombia

“…More than half of the population in this study recognizes the existence of oral cancer (58.6%), a finding that agrees with several studies worldwide ( 5 - 9 , 13 - 15 ) with percentages of knowledge ranging between 22% and 94%. Although it is lower than reported in some countries, the level or depth of knowledge is low.…”

Avaliação do nível de conhecimento de escolares do ensino médio sobre o câncer bucal

“…Preocupantemente, somente pouco mais da metade dos escolares desta pesquisa consideraram o cigarro como principal fator de risco para o câncer de boca, revelando uma importante deficiência na relação entre o conhecimento científico existente e a conscientização da população. Outros estudos encontraram resultados semelhantes ou ainda piores aos observados nesta pesquisa e sugerem que estratégias de saúde pública mais elaboradas, incluindo o uso de mídias sociais, jornais, rádio, televisão, e atuação de lideranças e representantes de comunidades podem ser úteis como estratégia para que as informações atinjam, de forma compreensível e adequada, os diferentes estratos populacionais 18,19 .…”

Factors Associated With Oral Cancer Adverse Outcome at the Rwanda Military Hospital, a Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study

“…Moreover, factors like smoking, untreated oral disease, alcohol, and HPV contribute more to the burden of OC in different regions of the world [9,15], but, in the Eastern region of Africa, Uganda was ranked high in global alcohol consumption, and it is catching up on tobacco product use. So, this indicates that there is a high incidence of OC cases in the Eastern African countries [16]. Additionally, previous studies reported that two thirds of patients with OC are diagnosed at an advanced stage of OC, and this indicates that the delay may lead to a high mortality and morbidity [17].…”

“…Additionally, previous studies reported that two thirds of patients with OC are diagnosed at an advanced stage of OC, and this indicates that the delay may lead to a high mortality and morbidity [17]. Although the OC has been highly prevalent in Asia, this disease has also been a public health burden in the Eastern Africa, such as in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, where its prevalence varies from 2 to 3.6% [16,18,19]. Smoking alone has claimed an estimated 71% of lives that died and were diagnosed with OC in developed countries against about 37% in LMICs [11].…”