Aims

i) To describe population characteristics, frequency of oral mucosa pathologies, and risk factors for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in a Campaign for the Prevention and Early Diagnosis of Oral Cancer (CPEDOC), and ii) to establish concordance between professional clinical diagnosis of chronic mechanical irritation (CMI) and self-perception of trauma.

Materials and methods

A retrospective descriptive study was performed using surveys of 640 patients who had participated in the CPEDOC conducted by the Dentistry Service at the Hospital Alemán during 2016, 2017 and 2018. Demographic, clinical and cognitive variables were described and analyzed, using chi-square for qualitative variables and ANOVA for quantitative variables, to compare campaign years. Concordance was studied between the professional clinical diagnosis of CMI and self-perceived trauma using the Kappa test, sensitivity and specificity.

Results

Participants were predominantly older, with low consumption of tobacco and alcohol. The percentage of patients with potentially malignant disorders and oral cancer was 17.2%. Hospital posters and radio broadcasting were the main channels of information to patients. Self-perceived trauma did not agree with the professional clinical diagnosis of CMI. Self-perceived trauma sensitivity and specificity were 0.41 and 0.72, respectively.

Conclusions

The level of participation in the CPEDOC by the groups at higher risk of OSCC was low, and the epidemiological profile of the participants did not generally coincide with the profile of patients with OSCC. Self-perception of trauma does not seem to be a reliable tool for the diagnosis of CMI.