Oral cancers are one of the top ten cancers among Hispanics. An oral cancer examination(OCE)is crucial for early detection of these cancers. The purposes of this study were: 1) to estimate the percentage of Hispanics and Hispanic ethnic groups who reported having an OCE in the past year; 2) to describe disparities between Hispanics and various non-Hispanic categories of the population; and 3) to evaluate the extent to which such disparities might be explained by age, gender, education, family income, a recent visit to a dentist and edentulism. Data from the 1998 National Health Interview Survey for 12,196+ adults 40+ years of age were analyzed by logistic regression using SUDAAN. 6.4% of Hispanics and 14.5 % of Non-Hispanics had an OCE in the past year. Among Hispanic subgroups, 5.5 % of Puerto Ricans, 6.0 % of Mexican Americans, 5.4 % of Cuban Americans, 5.1 % of other Latin Americans and 8.8 % of persons with other Spanish backgrounds had an OCE in the past year. After adjusting for age, gender, education, income, a recent dental visit and edentulism, Hispanics were 1.7 times less likely than Non-Hispanics to have had an OCE in the past year. A statistical difference was found between Hispanics (OR=.58; p=.00007) and White non-Hispanics but no statistical difference was found between Hispanics (OR=.58; p=.78) and Black-non Hispanics (OR=.55; p=.78). These findings suggest the need to include cultural and language appropriate information in promotional activities to increase the percentage of Hispanics receiving an OCE.
Learning Objectives: Identify the factors associated with having an oral cancer examination among Hispanic and Non-Hispanic groups.
Keywords: Cancer Prevention, Latinos
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.