Assessment of Oral Health Status among Head and Neck and Oral Cancer Patients in Rajasthan State: An Infirmary Based Cross-Sectional Study

Background: The increase in number of cancer patients and their poor oral health South East Asia especially in India has prompted us to undertake this retrospective study. The aim isto assess the oral health status of head and neck and oral cancer patients. Materials and Methods: The present cross sectional descriptive study was conducted at the oncology and radiology department of SMS medical college and hospital, Rajasthan. Patients from all the districts of Rajasthan state are being referred to this centre. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews using a standardized questionnaire including socio-demographic variables, smoking, alcohol consumption, family history of cancer, infectious diseases, and diet. SPSS version 20 was used for the statistical analysis. Results: Of the cohort, male and female patients constitute 88.43% and 11.57% respectively. 66.53% of the patients were having missing teeth. Decayed and filled teeth were found in 55.37% and 7.44% cases respectively. Conclusion: The results indicate the existence of correlation between poor oral health status and HNC and oral cancer. The present study open new ventures for further longitudinal studies in the future considering other variables such as staging, nutritional status etc. should be conducted so as to make this situation more evident, determining clearly the role of poor oral health status as a risk factor for HNC and oral cancer. Prevention is the best possible way to fight cancer. Therefore focus should be on to have more health programs and initiatives that promote periodic oral examination.