THE NEED FOR HEALTH PROMOTION IN ORAL-CANCER PREVENTION AND EARLY DETECTION

Objectives: This review paper provides a rationale for using health pr omotion to help reduce morbidity and mortality due to oral cancers by identifying barriers to prevention and early detection of these cancer s and discussing strategies for change. Methods: A literature review o f the following areas was conducted: epidemiology of and risk factors for oral cancers; knowledge, opinions, and practices of health care pr oviders and the public regarding prevention, early detection, and cont rol of oral cancers; and policies and regulations that either enhance or act as barriers to the prevention and early detection of oral cance rs. Results: Overall, the public is iii-informed about risk factors fo r and signs and symptoms of oral cancers and relatively few US adults have had an oral cancer examination. Further, health care providers ar e remiss in providing oral cancer examinations and detecting early ora l cancers. Conclusions: To achieve the 13 oral cancer objectives conta ined in ''Healthy People 2000,'' health care providers and the public must know the risk factors for these cancers as well as their signs an d symptoms. Further, health care providers need to provide oral cancer examinations routinely and competently. Equally important, the public needs to know that an examination for oral cancer is available and th at they can request one routinely. Thus, a vigorous agenda that includ es education, policy, and research initiatives is needed to enhance or al cancer prevention and early detection.