BETEL CHEWERS MUCOSA IN ELDERLY CAMBODIAN WOMEN

A total of 102 rural Cambodian women with a mean age of 60 +/- 8.5 yea rs (range 39 to 80 years) who chewed betel quid were examined for oral mucosal lesions, in particular betel chewer's mucosa. The average dur ation of betel quid chewing was 15.5 +/- 12.8 years. The average numbe r of daily betel quids was 5.4 +/- 2.9. Forty women (39.2%) used betel quids overnight. Thirty-eight (37.3%) did not show any oral mucosal l esion. Sixty-two (60.8%) showed betel chewer's mucosa. Homogeneous leu koplakia was found in three women (2.9%). Out of 130 sites affected by chewer's mucosa, the buccal mucosa was the most frequently involed (n = 68). In thirty-two subjects (31.4%) more than one location was affe cted. The presence of a lesion was significantly associated with the d uration of the habit (P<0.01) and the number of betel quids per day (P <0.001). Betel chewing seems to be prevalent in elderly Cambodian wome n, while younger people do not seem to have taken up this habit. The r isk for oral cancer in the Cambodian population is presently unknown.