Incidence of oral cancer among 30,000 villagers in india in a 7-year follow-up study of oral precancerous lesions.

In three districts of India where an oral precancer registry comprising 30,000 individuals was established in 1967, regular follow-up surveys have been conducted. This paper discusses the results of a 7-year follow-up study. In Bhavnagar district only one case or oral cancer was reported in this study. In the districts of Ernakulam and Srikakulam, age-adjusted annual incidence rates for oral cancer were found to be 33 and 22 per 100,000 respectively. The significance of tobacco habits and oral submucous fibrosis as etiologic factors is discussed.