Search

Amarasinghe HK, Usgodaarachchi US, Johnson NW, Lalloo R, Warnakulasuriya S. Public awareness of oral cancer, of oral potentially malignant disorders and of their risk factors in some rural populations in Sri Lanka. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 2010; 38: 540-548. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S The aim of this study was to investigate the level of public awareness of oral cancer, of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) and of risk factors for developing these diseases in a province of Sri Lanka, a country with one of the highest incidences of these diseases in the world. A cross-sectional community-based survey was carried out in Sabaragamuwa province by interviewing 1029 subjects above 30 years of age, over a 1-year period from November 2006. The level of public awareness of oral cancer was 84%, but only 23% for OPMD. Awareness was especially poor in low socioeconomic groups. The majority of subjects were not aware of the symptoms of oral cancer and of OPMD. Thirty-two percent were unaware that chewing betel quid was a risk factor for these diseases, as were 65% for tobacco smoking and 81% for heavy consumption of alcohol. Overall, 76% were not aware of any of the dangers inherent in the frequent use of areca nut. The majority of smokers, betel quid chewers and alcohol consumers were not aware that their lifestyles were placing their long-term health at serious risk. Knowledge of oral cancer, OPMD and their associated risk factors was poor among this population, indicating an urgent need to implement public health education and promotion strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the longitudinal relationships between the outcome measurements of changes in lifetime cumulative attachment loss (cLCAL) and changes in probing depth (cPD) in relation to potential risk factors or other risk markers for periodontal disease progression from a cohort of 100 young males. In order to account for the hierarchical data structure, and to explore explicitly the site, tooth, and subject levels simultaneously, multilevel modeling was undertaken. Methods: The analyses were undertaken in two parts. Within a previous article, the absolute levels of disease were analyzed in relation to potential risk factors; within this article, changes in disease are analyzed in relation to these factors. Each analytical approach yielded substantively different insights. Results: Subject-level risk factors had limited predictive value for cLCAL/cPD throughout the 30-month observation period. Tooth position demonstrated a near linear relationship for both outcomes, with disease increasing from anterior to posterior teeth. Supragingival plaque had no significant effect on cLCAL/cPD, while subgingival calculus and bleeding on probing were negatively associated with cLCAL/cPD. In contrast to the outcomes LCAL/PD, supragingival calculus had no significant protective effect on cLCAL/cPD. There was no significant influence of smoking in this cohort. Conclusions: This study provides, for a relatively young cohort, considerable insights into the factors associated with longitudinal patterns of early-life periodontal disease at all levels of the natural hierarchy of sites within teeth within subjects. Furthermore, it is demonstrated how multilevel modeling can provide considerable insight into some of the inconsistencies and controversies found in the previous periodontal literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]