Campaign for prevention and early diagnosis of oral cancer: profile of older participants

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the knowledge about oral cancer, behavioral data and Oral Health of the elderly participants Campaigns Oral Cancer Prevention in Piracicaba, SP. 154 individuals answered a questionnaire about prevention and risk factors for oral cancer and underwent oral examinations. Almost all respondents reported having heard of oral cancer (93.1% to 98%), but less than 8.6% (in 2010) knew to prevent risk factors. 41.4% to 54% examined the mouth at home and those who reported having received instruction concerning ranged from 24.1% to 37.8%. Our results suggest that the population evaluated heard of oral cancer but not know to protect themselves from risk factors.