Opportunistic screening of suspected oral precancerous lesions among patients attending outpatient department of primary health centres, Puducherry

Authors

  • Cincy Merin Varughese Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India
  • Mahalakshmy Thulasingam Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India
  • Gunjan Kumar Department of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases, Indian Council of Medical Research New Delhi, India
  • Shivangi Choubey ESSENCE Project, SANGATH, Chunabhatti Kolar Road, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
  • Bharathnag Nagappa Department of Epidemiology, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, New Delhi, India
  • Kavipriya Outtamane Department of Health and Family Welfare Services, State Nodal Officer, National Oral Health Programme, Directorate of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Puducherry, India
  • Swaroop Kumar Sahu Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India
  • Sivaraman Ganeshan Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20232051

Keywords:

Opportunistic screening, Primary health care center, Oral pre-malignant lesions

Abstract

Background: Oral cancer ranks among the top three types of cancer in India. Opportunistic screening of the oral cavity at an early stage could potentially offer long-term survival, improve treatment outcomes, and makes health care affordable for oral cancer patients. The objective is to determine the proportion of suspected oral precancerous lesions among the patients attending the outpatient department of the Primary Health Centres of Puducherry (PHC) by opportunistic screening through visual inspection.

Methods: This study was a facility-based cross-sectional study, conducted at the outpatient department of one urban and one rural primary health centre of Puducherry. Twelve hundred individuals aged above 18 years were opportunistically screened at the outpatient department using systematic random sampling. The oral examination was done through visual inspection, and socio-demographic characteristics were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire.

Results: The prevalence of suspected oral precancerous lesions was 14.3%, of which (18.5%) in rural areas and (10%) in urban areas. The study revealed that 32.1% of the study participants were in 46-60 years with female predominance of 63.3%. A high prevalence of suspected oral precancerous lesions was seen among the age group >60 years (21.8%) and males (19.1%). Smoking, chewing tobacco/betel quid, and alcohol consumption were the risk factors associated with the prevalence of suspected oral precancerous lesions.

Conclusions: Further confirmation of those diagnosed positive for suspected precancerous oral lesions, appropriate follow-up, and treatment of the lesions. Opportunistic screening for all individuals above 30 years of age for suspected oral precancerous lesions is recommended and feasible in primary healthcare settings.

 

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Published

2023-06-29

How to Cite

Merin Varughese, C., Thulasingam, M., Kumar, G., Choubey, S., Nagappa, B., Outtamane, K., Kumar Sahu, S., & Ganeshan, S. (2023). Opportunistic screening of suspected oral precancerous lesions among patients attending outpatient department of primary health centres, Puducherry. International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 10(7), 2549–2555. https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20232051

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Original Research Articles