Abstract:
Background and objective: The prevalence of oral cancer disease is high in Sri Lanka,
especially in Northern Province. It is a preventable disease as its occurrence mainly
depends on the lifestyle practices. Adequate awareness regarding early manifestations
and the risk factors of oral cancer disease among the public will help to reduce the burden
of the disease. This study aimed to assess the awareness of oral cancer disease and its
risk factors and their association with socio-demographic factors among adult patients in
the Out-Patient Department of Teaching Hospital Jaffna.
Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 402 adult
participants who were recruited by systematic sampling. An interviewer-administered
questionnaire consisting of socio-demographic characteristics and questions regarding
awareness of oral cancer disease and its risk factors was used. A scoring method was
developed and the results were statistically analyzed with chi-square test and risk
assessment by using SPSS (v26) software.
Results: Among 402 participants, 117 (44%) were males; 186 (46.3%) had a satisfactory
level of awareness regarding oral cancer disease, which showed a statistically significant
association with sex, education, and occupation (p≤0.05). A majority of participants
identified the possible sites of oral cancer (inner surface of oral cavity (84.1%), gingiva
(66.2%) and tongue (59.2%)) and associated symptoms (white and red patches (69.4%),
lump in oral cavity (75.9%), non-healing ulcers (75.9%) and burning sensation (60%))
but 38.3% had a misconception that oral cancer is contagious. In the sample, 47.7% had
a satisfactory level of awareness regarding risk factors of oral cancer; 95.5 % and 89.6%,
respectively, stated that chewing betel with areca nut, lime and tobacco and smoking
were risk factors, while only 63.9% identified alcohol consumption as a risk factor.
Males had less awareness (16.7%) compared to females (31.1%) regarding risk factors
(OR 2.052, 95% CI 1.373 -3.067). Risk factor awareness showed a statistically
significant association with sex and occupation.
Conclusion and recommendations: Awareness regarding oral cancer disease and its
risk factors in Jaffna is still lacking, even though awareness and screening programmes
exist. This deficit should be compensated by reassessing and establishing these
programmes at primary health care units along with the active involvement of mass
media in educating the people.
