Cancer causes approximately 12% of all deaths throughout the world and is the third leading cause of death in developing countries. In Malaysia, Indians have the highest incidence of mouth cancer compared to other races, and females are more affected compared to males.
Objective: The main objective of this study was to analyze the cases of oral cancer treated in the dental department of Penang hospital, Malaysia and to determine the risk factors associated with oral cancer.
Methodology: We reviewed the medical reports of all the patients with oral cancer treated in the dental department of Penang General Hospital from 1994 to 2004.
Results: There were 46 cases of oral cancer treated by the dental department of Penang General Hospital during this time period. 22 were males and 24 females. The mean age of the patients was 61.2 years old. Indians comprised the majority of the cases (n=23; 50%) followed by Malays (n=12; 26.1%) and Chinese (n=11; 23.9%). Of these cases, 54.3% (n=25) had used quid, 39.1% (n=18) smoked cigarettes and 32.6% (n=15) consumed alcohol. Indians made up 76% (n=19) of all quid users (p=