Oral Cancer Awareness Level in Egypt: a Pilot Cross-sectional Study

Cancer of the oral cavity is considered a global health burden. According to GLOBOCAN report of 2012, the incidence of oral cancer in Egypt was 1,687 per 10,000 per annum; while the mortality was 659 per 10,000 per annum. Statistically, the rates are expected to increase as to reach 2,658 per 10,000 incidence and 1,069 per 10,000 mortality by the year 2030.

Fortunately, 85% of head and neck cancers are visible. Therefore, the patient does not always need to visit a specialist for a special test to check for oral cancer. Instead, if the patients have basic knowledge about oral cancer, its signs and symptoms and its risk factors, they can detect the change themselves.

As a first step to reach this amazing goal, the level of awareness of the general population needs to be detected.

To the best of our knowledge, the awareness of oral cancer has not been assessed in the general population of Egypt before. As awareness of oral cancer is mandatory for dental practitioners, our study targets the general population other than those working in the dentistry field.