Sumiaya Zaman1, SK Abdullah Mohammed2, SAM Imran Hossain3,
AKM Tareque Hasan4
1. Assistant Professor, Department of Science of Dental Materials, North East Medical College, Dental Unit, Sylhet
2. Medical Officer, Oasis Hospital, Subhanighat, Sylhet.
3. Assistant Professor (C.C), Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, NEMC, Dental Unit, Sylhet.
4. Lecturer. Department of Dental Public Health, North East Medical College, Dental Unit, Sylhet.
Abstract
Cancer poses serious health problems both in developed and developing countries. Most of the oral cancers are diagnosed in late stage, leading to poor outcomes. This observational study was conducted on oral cancer and its symptoms among women in a selected rural area of Dohar upozila of Dhaka district from September 2011 to November 2011. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge regarding oral cancer and source of information about the clinical features of oral cancer. A structured questionnaire was developed and data were collected by face to face interview. From the study it was found that, out of 101 respondents, 2.0% had secondary level of education and 63.4% were illiterate. Mean age of the respondents was 33.02 years. Mean monthly family income was 1891.09 Tk. A majority of the respondents (41.6%) were housewives. Among the respondents, only 41.6% knew that, oral cancer can happen. According to sign and symptoms of oral cancer, 12.9% respondents knew about ulceration in the mouth, 7.9% knew about white lesions. So, this study reveals the necessity of awareness on oral cancer among rural women.
Key Words: Oral cancer, conception, women, symptoms.