Community Dental Health

cover art

Cover Date:
June 2006
Print ISSN:
0265 539X
Vol:
23
Issue:
2

The unequal burden related to the risk of oral cancer in the different regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Objectives: To estimate the burden and risk of oral cancer in Saudi Arabia and highlight differences between regions. Methods: Using the National Cancer Registry Saudi Arabia, data was collated on numbers of cases of oral cancer (1996-1998) by site, age group, gender and region, plus relative frequencies of all cancer cases. Using Globocan, age-standardised rate (ASR) of oral cancer in Saudi Arabia was compared with five other neighbouring countries in the region. Results: A total of 208 lip, mouth and tongue cancers for men and 209 for women were reported to the registry during this period. ASR of oral cancer was 1.81/100,000 for males and 2.13/100,000 for females. It was ranked 15th most common cancer for males and 11th for females, with a ratio of 1:1 and median age at diagnosis of 62 years. Very wide regional disparities in the incidence of oral cancer were found, with an almost thirty-fold difference in ASR between the regions with the lowest and highest rates. Jizan Region had the highest ASR (6.2/100,000 for males and 9.82/100,000 for females). Here oral cancer was ranked 2nd for males and 1st for females, with a ratio of 0.73:1 and the median age at diagnosis for females was lower. The third highest ASR (4.48/100,000) was found in females in Najran. In these two high incidence regions oral cancer was commonly reported on the gingiva. Conclusions: Overall the burden and risk of oral cancer in Saudi Arabia are not large. However, cancer of the oral cavity is a significant public health problem for the residents of Jizan and the women of Najran. Saudi females in both these regions have a higher burden of oral cancer.

Key words: Incidence, oral cancer,Saudi Arabia, shamma, tobacco

Article Price
£15.00
Institution Article Price
£
Page Start
101
Page End
106
Authors
A. Brown, K. Ravichandran, S.Warnakulasuriya

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  1. Editorial - Providing children with the quality dental care they deserve
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  1. The impact of fixed orthodontic appliances on daily life
  2. 67
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  1. Service quality implications of dental undergraduate outreach teaching for Primary Care Trusts in England, UK.
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  1. Prevalence of hypodontia and hyperdontia in paedodontic and orthodontic patients in Budapest
  2. 80
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  1. Psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the Dental Cognition Questionnaire
  2. 83
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  1. Dental caries experience in preschool children in Veneto region (Italy)
  2. 91
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  1. Improving access to dental care in East London’s ethnic minority groups: community based, qualitative study
  2. 95
  3. 100

  1. The unequal burden related to the risk of oral cancer in the different regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
  2. 101
  3. 106

  1. Can oral health promotion help develop masticatory function and prevent dental caries?
  2. 107
  3. 115

  1. The equity of access to primary dental care for children in the North East of England
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  1. Presidential Address
  2. 120
  3. 122