Mouth self-examination in a population at risk of oral cancer.

BACKGOUND: Cancer of the oral cavity is a public health problem and many cases are not diagnosed until the disease has reached an advanced stage. The aim of this study was to initiate an educational programme in self-examination for patients at risk from oral cancer. METHODS: This quasi-experimental study set out to initiate an educational programme in self-examination for patients at risk from oral cancer, assessing the outcomes after three months. In individual 15-minute face-to-face sessions, patients were given information and training in oral cancer risk factors and then verbal instructions as how to carry out oral self-examination. Three months later, patients were interviewed by telephone and asked if they had carried out self-examination independently at home. The programme was evaluated by means of a health belief model questionnaire on perceived susceptibility (3 items), severity (8 items), benefits (4 items), barriers (8 items) and efficacy (6 items). RESULTS: Eighty-six patients (37 females [43.1%] and 49 males [56.9%]) with a mean age of 58.60+/-10.7 completed the oral self-examination programme. Logistic regression analysis indicated that patients who felt themselves subject to susceptibility (OR: 0.03 95% CI: 0.0-0.86; p<0.04), severity (OR 0.23 95% 0.08-0.68; p<0.008) and benefits (OR 0.11 95% 0.02-0.63; p<0.013) were more likely to perform self-examination. CONCLUSIONS: Training programmes in oral self-examination are needed to decrease morbidity and mortality from oral cancer.