Prevalence of oral precancerous and cancerous lesions in elderly Malaysians

• Published in: Asia-Pacific journal of public health Vol. 9; p. 24
• Main Authors: Ali, T B, Jalalluddin, R L, Abdul Razak, I, Zain, R B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: China 1996
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; China - ethnology; Female; Health Surveys; Humans; India - ethnology; Malaysia - epidemiology; Male; Middle Aged; Mouth Neoplasms - epidemiology; Oral Health; Precancerous Conditions - epidemiology; Prevalence; Risk Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires; China; Malaysia; India
• ISSN: 1010-5395
• DOI: 10.1177/101053959700900105

A house to house survey on elderly subjects aged 60 years old and above was undertaken in a large district in Malaysia. A total of 486 subjects in randomly selected Enumeration Blocks were interviewed and examined. The prevalence of oral precancerous lesions was recorded at 3.3%, of which leukoplakia was the most common. When the ethnic distribution of these oral precancerous and cancerous (OPC) lesions was compared, 72% of those inflicted were Indians. Oral cancer was detected in two subjects (0.4%), both of whom were of Indian origin. Among subjects with OPC lesions, 4.2% were smokers, 12.7% were betelquid chewers, 11.8% had indulged in both habits, whilst one subject had not practised any of the oral habits of interest (0.4%). The findings suggest the occurrence of OPC lesions to be related to betelquid chewing.