ORAL-CANCER AND PRECANCER RELATED TO BETEL AND MIANG CHEWING IN THAILAND - A REVIEW

Historical aspects of betel and miang chewing in Thailand are decribed , as is the betel quid. Available literature on cancer and precancer i n Thailand is reviewed. While oral cancer has been a major health prob lem in the past, changes in habit patterns with marked reduction of be tel and miang chewing during the last decades have prompted a change i n frequency of oral cancer in some provinces. Oral effects of miang ch ewing are less marked, although chewer's mucosa has been observed. Bet el and miang chewing seem to be vanishing habits in Thailand in contra st to other Southeast Asian or South Asian countries.