Cancer Research and Treatment

Original Article

Head and Neck cancer

Effect of National Oral Health Screening Program on the Risk of Head and Neck Cancer: A Korean National Population-Based Study: Chan Woo Wee, Hyo-Jung Lee, Jae-Ryun Lee, Hyejin Lee, Min-Jeong Kwoen, Woo-Jin Jeong, Keun-Yong Eom; Cancer Res Treat. 2022;54(3):709-718. Published online October 22, 2021; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4143/crt.2021.834

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Purpose
Poor oral health is associated with head and neck cancer (HNC). We evaluated whether a national oral health screening program (OHSP) could reduce the risk of HNC.
Materials and Methods
Data from 408,247 healthy individuals aged ≥ 40 years from the National Health Insurance System-National Health Screening program during 2003 and 2004 in Korea were analyzed. The risk of HNC was compared between subjects who underwent OHSP (HEALS-Dental+, n=165,292) and routine health check-ups only (HEALS-Dental‒, n=242,955). The impact of individual oral health-related factors on HNC risk was evaluated in HEALS-Dental+.
Results
A total of 1,650 HNC cases were diagnosed. The 10-year HNC-free rate was 99.684% with a median follow-up of 11 years. The risk of all HNC (hazard ratio [HR], 1.16; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03 to 1.29; p=0.011) and oropharyngeal cancer (HR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.13 to 1.94; p=0.005) was significantly higher in HEALS-Dental‒ than in HEALS-Dental+. In HEALS-Dental+, oral cavity cancer was marginally reduced (p=0.085), and missing teeth was a significant factor for HNC (HR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.50; p=0.032). Toothbrushing was a significant factor in univariate analysis (p=0.028), but not in multivariate analysis (p=0.877).
Conclusion
The National OHSP significantly reduced the long-term HNC risk, particularly the incidence of oropharyngeal cancer. Routine OHSP should be considered at the population level.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Gold Nanoparticles Enhance the Tumor Growth-Suppressing Effects of Cetuximab and Radiotherapy in Head and Neck Cancer In Vitro and In Vivo
Takumi Sato, Yasumasa Kakei, Takumi Hasegawa, Masahiko Kashin, Shun Teraoka, Akinobu Yamaguchi, Ryohei Sasaki, Masaya Akashi
Cancers.2023; 15(23): 5697. CrossRef

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