Smokers do not receive oral cancer exams at a rate consistent with their risk of developing oral cancer, according to a new study in the Journal of Public Health Dentistry (May 14, 2013).
Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Dentistry used data from the 2008 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) to assess whether adult smokers and those with moderate-to-heavy alcohol consumption — both primary risk factors for oral cancer — received oral cancer exams at a rate consistent with their risk.
They found that 34% of adults age 40 years or older reported receiving either an extraoral or intraoral examination during their lifetime. In addition, current smokers were no more likely to have received an oral cancer exam than those who were never smokers, while moderate-to-heavy drinkers and light drinkers were “significantly more likely” to have received oral cancer exams than were lifetime abstainers.
“Healthcare practitioners are encouraged to consider the smoking and drinking statuses of their patients when they conduct routine physical examinations of the head and neck,” the study authors concluded.
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