380P - An epidemiological analysis on the prevalence of oral cancer and its awareness among Irula tribes of South India

Background

Globally, there are roughly 476 million indigenous peoples in 90 nations worldwide, representing a wide range of cultures, dialects, and spirits. India has the world's second-highest concentration of tribal people after African countries. Spread across 705 tribes accounting for 8.6% of the country’s population, over 104 million tribal people live; making India home to numerous tribes with diverse origins, customs, and societal practices. Government of India have identified Primitive tribal communities on the basis of their pre-agricultural level of technology, extremely low level of literacy, and small, stagnant, or diminishing population. This epidemiological cross- sectional study was designed to assess the prevalence of oral cancer and its awareness among Irula tribes of South India.

Methods

A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted among 200 Irula tribes using a pretested Questionnaire, which included demographic information, tobacco habits, its frequency, and cancer awareness. Oral examination to assess oral cancer was done by a single examiner. SPSS version 21 was used to analyse the collected data.

Results

The findings revealed that 87% of the 200 study participants had no formal education and 38% had never visited a dentist. 64.5% practised indigenous brushing. There were 52% of oral mucosal lesions and 6% of malignant oral tumours found. This community had a very high prevalence of periodontal disease, tobacco chewing, and deeply ingrained beliefs and customs about dentition and dental treatment. The prevalence of oral mucosal lesions in the study population was due to tobacco use and a lack of knowledge about the harmful effects of the products used.

Conclusions

Although the problems associated with smoking and chewing tobacco are extensively documented in the literature, it is worrying that this indigenous group is not aware of the consequences. The public should be made aware of these concerns, especially those in high-risk groups, according to health specialists.

Clinical trial identification

Editorial acknowledgement

Legal entity responsible for the study

The author.

Funding

Has not received any funding.

Disclosure

The author has declared no conflicts of interest.