World Oral Cancer Awareness Month: Promoting Healthy Smiles Every Day

Highlights:

April is observed as World Oral Cancer Awareness Month every year
It aims to generate awareness about oral cancer throughout the world
Oral cancer kills one person, every hour, every day, all year round
It could significantly reduce the morbidity and mortality arising from oral cancer

World Oral Cancer Awareness Month is observed in April every year. It aims to create awareness about the risk factors, symptoms, detection, treatment and prevention of oral cancer across the world.

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Oral Cancer is one of the most prevalent forms of cancer in India. Evidence suggests that India bears the largest burden of oral cancers in the world, with an incidence of around 11.28

‘World Oral Cancer Awareness Month, which is being observed throughout April, aims to create awareness about oral cancer, including the risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. So, this April, let us all get together to raise awareness about oral cancer across the globe to ensure ‘Optimal Oral Health for All by 2020.’’
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Oral cancer affects the mouth and associated structures, including the lips, oral cavity, salivary glands, tonsils, throat, tongue, and cheeks. Oral cancers are on the rise, but awareness is terribly low. Hence, there is an urgent need to generate awareness about the disease. Some of the ways this could be achieved are highlighted below:

Ways to Generate Oral Cancer Awareness

Advocacy: Advocacy is crucial for awareness generation and for influencing policy changes. Some of the broad advocacy issues include healthcare reforms, regulatory reforms, prevention, education, and dental research
Street Plays: Street plays based on the theme of oral hygiene and the dangers of oral cancer are ideal for generating awareness at the grassroots level
Social Media: Social media is a powerful tool for spreading the message about oral cancer awareness and is likely to reach a huge number of people, especially the younger generation
Public Lectures & Workshops: Public lectures and workshops by eminent dentists will enthuse the general public to take care of their oral health
Screening Camps: Oral cancer screening camps can be organized throughout April, which will create awareness at the community level. Screening can detect cancer at an early stage and will be particularly beneficial for the underprivileged members of society, who have less frequent contact with healthcare providers
Oral Cancer 'Walks': Organizing walks by displaying banners and placards on the importance of oral hygiene in preventing oral cancer, will help to boost awareness about the disease
Fundraising: Funds for prevention of oral cancer can be raised through sponsorships for various sporting events such as walking, running, cycling, swimming, and other activities

Oral Cancer in India

India accounts for a third of the global burden of oral cancer. Oral cancers are a subset of head and neck cancers which has an incidence of 20 per 100,000 people in India.

India and Sri Lanka have the highest rates of oral cancer worldwide. Oral cancers can usually be detected just by clinical examination by a dentist. Despite this, 60-80 percent of oral cancers in India are diagnosed at a late stage, which results in high mortality and morbidity.

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Oral cancers detected at an early stage can be successfully treated, with high cure rates and a good prognosis. However, detection at an advanced stage requires aggressive treatment, involving chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery, which often have a poor outcome.

Oral Cancer: Facts & Figures

11^th most common cancer worldwide
640,000 cases are diagnosed every year worldwide
460,000 people will die of oral cancer each year worldwide by 2030
Oral cancer kills one person, every hour, every day, all year round
40 percent of newly diagnosed oral cancer patients will die within 5 years
Incidence of oral cancer has increased by one-third over the past decade
Around 60,000 people will be diagnosed with oral cancer over the next decade
85 percent of all head and neck cancers worldwide are due to oral cancer
Oral cancer is more prevalent above the age of 40 years
25 percent of oral cancer cases are not associated with any risk factors
Oral cancer risk in men is double that of women

Oral Cancer: Warning Signs

A mouth ulcer that refuses to heal within three weeks
Red or white patches inside the mouth or on the lips
Unusual lumps, swellings, or thickened tissues in the mouth or neck
Pain and tenderness inside the mouth
Numbness in lower lip and chin
Difficulty swallowing, chewing or speaking
Loose teeth and bleeding in the mouth

Oral Cancer Prevention: Indian Initiatives

National Oral Health Program: The National Oral Health Program was drafted by the Indian Dental Association (IDA), which highlights the importance of oral health for overall health, wellbeing and quality of life. The program aims to ensure 'Optimal Oral Health for All by 2020'
National Oral Cancer Registry: The National Oral Cancer Registry is an initiative of IDA that collects data on oral cancer and precancerous conditions. It accesses data from population-based and hospital-based cancer registries
Oral Cancer Foundation: The Oral Cancer Foundation is a "Call to Action" Program led by dental professionals, which aims to improve oral health and reduce the burden of oral cancer in India
Tobacco Intervention Initiative: This is a "Call to Action" Program that is aimed at eradicating tobacco addiction for creating a 'Tobacco Free India' and promoting oral health for all Indians

The Way Forward

It will be possible to forge a way forward by properly addressing the following key areas:

Education: Access to accurate information and knowledge can empower the people to make informed choices about health issues, including oral cancer
Prevention: Preventive and risk reduction strategies are important as these can effectively reduce the number of oral cancer cases
Equity & Access: Access to oral health facilities should be available to all, irrespective of social standing, so that oral cancer can be detected early and treated promptly
Government Action: Proactive action by the government in the area of health planning and execution could reduce the burden of oral cancer to create a healthy nation
Social Support: Providing social support is an important aspect of the management of cancer patients. This involves not only physical, but also emotional and mental support
Economics: Financial investment in cancer prevention and control can be more cost-effective than cancer treatment and will ensure economic gains by increased productivity of a healthy workforce
Training: Increased numbers of adequately trained healthcare professionals will help to reduce the skills gap that currently exists and is a major hindrance towards effective cancer control

This April, let us all get together to raise awareness about oral cancer across the globe to ensure 'Optimal Oral Health for All by 2020'.

References :

Coelho KR. Challenges of Oral Cancer Burden in India. J Cancer Epidemiol. 2012; 2012: 701932 - (http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/701932)
Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR). Three-Year Report of Population Based Cancer Registries 2012-2014. Bengaluru, India: National Center for Disease Informatics and Research - National Cancer Registry Program, 2016. - (http://ncdirindia.org/NCRP/ALL_NCRP_REPORTS/PBCR_REPORT_2012_2014/ALL_CONTENT/PDF_Printed_Version/Preliminary_Pages_Printed.pdf)
Oral Cancer Awareness Month - American Dental Association - (https://www.ada.org/en)
Mouth Cancer Action Month - Oral Health Foundation, UK - (https://www.dentalhealth.org/pages/category/mouth-cancer-action-month)
Global Data on Incidence of Oral Cancer - World Health Organization - (https://www.who.int/oral_health/publications/oral_cancer_brochure.pdf?ua=1)
Mouth Cancer - Mouth Cancer Foundation, UK - (https://www.mouthcancerfoundation.org/get-info/mouth-cancer)
National Oral Cancer Registry - Indian Dental Association - (http://nocr.org.in/#/home)
Oral Cancer Foundation - Indian Dental Association - (http://ocf.org.in/#/home)
Tobacco Intervention Initiative - Indian Dental Association - (http://tii.org.in/#/home)

Source: Medindia

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Citations

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Dr. Kaushik Bharati. (2019, April 02). World Oral Cancer Awareness Month: Promoting Healthy Smiles Every Day. Medindia. Retrieved on May 16, 2022 from https://www.medindia.net/news/healthwatch/world-oral-cancer-awareness-month-promoting-healthy-smiles-every-day-187025-1.htm.
MLA

Dr. Kaushik Bharati. "World Oral Cancer Awareness Month: Promoting Healthy Smiles Every Day". Medindia. May 16, 2022. <https://www.medindia.net/news/healthwatch/world-oral-cancer-awareness-month-promoting-healthy-smiles-every-day-187025-1.htm>.
Chicago
Dr. Kaushik Bharati. "World Oral Cancer Awareness Month: Promoting Healthy Smiles Every Day". Medindia. https://www.medindia.net/news/healthwatch/world-oral-cancer-awareness-month-promoting-healthy-smiles-every-day-187025-1.htm. (accessed May 16, 2022).
Harvard
Dr. Kaushik Bharati. 2021. World Oral Cancer Awareness Month: Promoting Healthy Smiles Every Day. Medindia, viewed May 16, 2022, https://www.medindia.net/news/healthwatch/world-oral-cancer-awareness-month-promoting-healthy-smiles-every-day-187025-1.htm.