Betel-quid chewing with or without tobacco is a major risk factor for oral potentially malignant disorders in Sri Lanka: A case-control study
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 30
years. 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.
Keywords: Sri Lanka, Oral cancer, oral potentially malignant disorders, Oral leukoplakia, Oral submucous fibrosis, Risk factors, Betel-quid, Tobacco, Alcohol
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PII: S1368-8375(10)00030-8
doi:10.1016/j.oraloncology.2010.01.017
© 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
