ORAL HYGIENE STATUS OF CANCER AND NON CANCER PATIENTS - A HOSPITAL BASED STUDY

Objective: To assess the association between oral hygiene practice and occurrence of oral squamous cell carcinoma. Methods: An epidemiologic study of total 1254 persons including 480 oral squamous cell carcinoma cases and 774 persons selected as controls without any oral precancerous and cancerous lesion, cases and controls matching with same socioeconomic background and with almost similar tobacco consumption habits. Detailed information on smoking, alcohol consumption, years of schooling, oral health status and hygiene practices were obtained through a question nairetested with a pilot study. Age, sex, educational status, habits of smoking, drinking, and tooth brushing along with estimation of oral health status using unconditional logistic regression was analyzed. Results: The complain of regular gum bleeding associated with plaque and calculus showed significant positive correlation with oral squamous cell carcinoma. Neglected oral health and no dental visiting patients are on higher risks for having oral squamous cell carcinoma.