Dental Institute, Maharagama, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2010 Dec;38(6):540-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0528.2010.00566.x. Epub 2010 Aug 23.
The aim of this study was to investigate the level of public awareness of oral cancer, of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) and of risk factors for developing these diseases in a province of Sri Lanka, a country with one of the highest incidences of these diseases in the world.
A cross-sectional community-based survey was carried out in Sabaragamuwa province by interviewing 1029 subjects above 30 years of age, over a 1-year period from November 2006.
The level of public awareness of oral cancer was 84%, but only 23% for OPMD. Awareness was especially poor in low socioeconomic groups. The majority of subjects were not aware of the symptoms of oral cancer and of OPMD. Thirty-two percent were unaware that chewing betel quid was a risk factor for these diseases, as were 65% for tobacco smoking and 81% for heavy consumption of alcohol. Overall, 76% were not aware of any of the dangers inherent in the frequent use of areca nut. The majority of smokers, betel quid chewers and alcohol consumers were not aware that their lifestyles were placing their long-term health at serious risk.
Knowledge of oral cancer, OPMD and their associated risk factors was poor among this population, indicating an urgent need to implement public health education and promotion strategies.
本研究旨在调查斯里兰卡一个省的公众对口腔癌、口腔潜在恶性疾病（OPMD）以及这些疾病发生风险因素的认知水平。斯里兰卡是世界上这些疾病发病率最高的国家之一。
在 2006 年 11 月至 2007 年 11 月为期 1 年的时间里，通过对 1029 名 30 岁以上的对象进行访谈，在萨巴拉加穆瓦省开展了一项基于社区的横断面调查。
公众对口腔癌的认知率为 84%，但对 OPMD 的认知率仅为 23%。社会经济地位较低的群体的认知水平尤其差。大多数对象不知道口腔癌和 OPMD 的症状。32%的人不知道咀嚼槟榔是这些疾病的危险因素，65%的人不知道吸烟，81%的人不知道大量饮酒也是危险因素。总的来说，76%的人没有意识到经常食用槟榔所带来的危害。大多数吸烟者、咀嚼槟榔者和饮酒者都没有意识到他们的生活方式使他们的长期健康面临严重风险。
该人群对口腔癌、OPMD 及其相关风险因素的了解程度较差，表明迫切需要实施公共卫生教育和促进策略。
