MOUTH SELF-EXAMINATION (MSE): EFFECTIVENESS AS A PREVENTIVE STRATEGY FOR SCREENING OF ORAL PREMALIGNANT/MALIGNANT LESIONS

Background: This study was conducted to determine the efficiency of Mouth Self-Examination (MSE) as a screening strategy for the early detection of Oral Premalignant/Malignant Lesions. Methods: This study collected data from 100 participants via a questionnaire-based survey who visited the Himachal Institute of Dental Sciences, Paonta Sahib (India). Results: The data was examined using SPSS version 16 with a significance value of 0.05. The specificity of MSE was the highest for ulceration at 100% (P=0.445), whereas the sensitivity of MSE was 100% for bleeding, 98.9% for mouth opening, and 55.5% for white patches. Conclusion: Although the MSE technique was less sensitive in detecting oral premalignant/malignant lesions, the specificity of the MSE method was comparatively high. This demands increased efforts to educate the population regarding oral premalignant/malignant lesions to increase the efficiency and acceptance of MSE.