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Abstract

Oral disease is not only epidemic in some parts of the resource-poor world but shockingly prevalent in the resource-rich, affluent world. The work of the oral health provider is more important than ever due to global trends and the alarming rise in oral cancer incidence rates. This presentation raises the oral health professional?s awareness of cultural and social oral habits globally such as chewing betel nut, khat, coca leaf, kola nut and chewing tobacco use and relation to oral cancers. Knowledge of the use of these oral habits is integral in understanding the adverse effects on people?s oral health, human wellness and global health.In South-Central Asia, 80% of head and neck cancers are found in the oral cavity and oropharynx. In many countries, oral cancer is often not being detected until people experience debilitating circumstances to normal oral function. The aims of the study were to explore the patterns of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and its risk indicators, the structure of oral health care in Vietnamand trends in prevalence of cultural risk habits in southern Vietnamese patients. A retrospective clinical study was performed at Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) Oncology hospital in Vietnam of 147 subjects diagnosed with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), including 100 male and 47 female adults aged 24 to 85 years. Data was collected by a structured interview and clinical examination.Over 40% of the women with OSCC reported chewing betel quid and the most prevalent risk habit in males was smoking (91.0%). Daily alcohol use was reported by 79.0% of males and 2.1% of females. Two thirds of the cases of OSCC were diagnosed at the 2nd and 3rd stage of cancer. The more advanced stages of cancer were observed in males than in females. The prevalence of tobacco and alcohol use in males with OSCC was higher in the present study than in previous Vietnamese studies.

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