Annual oral cancer exams(OCE) are recommended for adults 40+ by the American Cancer Society. The purposes of this study were to: (1) describe socio-economic (SES) disparities regarding having an OCE in the past year, and (2) evaluate the extent they are explained by age, gender, race, recent dental visit, and edentulism. Information from the 1998 National Health Interview Survey for 12,190+ adults 40+ years was analyzed by logistic regression using SUDAAN. Of these,13.8% had an OCE in the past year which varied by level of education from 4.9% among persons with < 8 years of schooling to 26.9% among persons with a doctoral degree. Overall, persons with <12 years of education were 5.6 times less likely than persons with doctoral degrees to have had an OCE in the past year (OR=.18; p-value<.00001). It also varied by family economic status from 5.4% among the poor to 23.9% among persons with annual incomes 5 or more times the poverty threshold. Adults in the bottom quintile of family income were 5.0 times less likely than those in the top quintile to have had an OCE in the past year (OR=.20; p-value<.00001).When age, gender, race, recent dental visit, and edentulism were taken into account, the results were a 2.5-fold disparity for the education comparison (OR=.40; p-value<.00001) and a 2.2-fold disparity for the income comparison(OR=.45; p-value<.00001). Major strategies need to be implemented to educate all groups especially low SES adults about the need for an OCE and to provide access for them to receive an OCE.
Learning Objectives: Recognize the importance of level of education and income on having an oral cancer exam
Keywords: Cancer Screening, Oral Health
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.