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Oral Cancer: Awareness is Not Equivalent To Knowledge

by Medindia Content Team on Feb 14 2006 8:35 PM

New research appearing in the latest edition of the British Dental Journal says that although the public awareness of oral cancer is good, the knowledge of the early signs and symptoms of the same is way below expectations.

Reserachers at University College, London and Guy's, King's and St Thomas' Dental Institute found that 95 percent of those surveyed had heard of oral cancer or mouth cancer as compared to 56 percent awareness in a similar survey conducted in 1999.The cause of oral cancer was also well-known with 85 percent associating it with smoking and 80 percent with tobacco products. However among the 3,384 adults quizzed less than 20 percent were aware of the link between alcohol and oral cancer. Only about a third of those surveyed were aware that white patches in the mouth could be precursors of oral cancer. The research also found that the high-risk groups like smokers and tobacco chewers had a meager knowledge of the condition.

"This article is based on a research paper that appears in the 11 February edition of the British Dental Journal." http://www.bda-dentistry.org.uk


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