Betel-quid chewing with or without tobacco is a major risk factor for oral potentially malignant disorders in Sri Lanka: A case-control study
Received 10 January 2010; received in revised form 22 January 2010; accepted 22 January 2010. published online 02 March 2010.
Summary
We investigated the prevalence of, and risk factors for, oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) in rural Sri Lanka. A cross-sectional community-based study was conducted by interview and oral examination of 1029 subjects aged over 30years. A community-based nested case-control study then took those with OPMDs as ‘cases’, “controls” being those with no oral abnormalities at time of initial screening. The prevalence of OPMD was 11.3% (95% CI: 9.4–13.2), after weighting for place of residence and gender. Risk factors were betel-quid (BQ) chewing daily [OR=10.6 (95% CI: 3.6–31.0)] and alcohol drinking daily or weekly [OR=3.55 (1.6–8.0)]. A significant dose–response relationship existed for BQ chewing. Smoking did not emerge when adjusted for covariates. A synergistic effect of chewing and alcohol consumption existed. The attributable risk (AR) of daily BQ chewing was 90.6%, the population AR 84%. This study demonstrates high prevalence of OPMD, betel-quid chewing with or without tobacco being the major risk factor.
cGriffith Institute for Health and Medical Research, Gold Coast Campus, Griffith University, QLD 4222, Australia
dColgate Chair: Rural, Remote and Indigenous Oral Health, School of Dentistry and Oral Health, Gold Coast Campus, Griffith University, QLD 4222, Australia
eDepartment of Oral Medicine and Experimental Oral Pathology, King’s College Dental Institute, Bessemer Road, London SES 9RS, United Kingdom
Corresponding author. Address: School of Dentistry and Oral Health, Gold Coast Campus, Griffith University, QLD 4222, Australia. Tel.: +61 (0)756780771; fax: +61 (0)756780708.
ABSTRACT