Oral lesions diagnosed during oral cancer prevention campaign in Fernandópolis, Brazil, in 2021

Monica Moreno de Carvallho, Renan Lemos da Silva, Saygo Tomo, Aline Satie Takamiya, Karina Gonzalez Câmara Fernandes, Luciana Estevam Simonato

Abstract

The aim of this study is to describe the lesions diagnosed during the 2021 campaign. Patients who attended the Basic Health Units on the day of the campaign were examined by a previously trained dentist who looked for oral lesions suggestive of oral squamous cell carcinoma or potentially malignant lesions. Patients with suspicious lesions were scheduled for a re-evaluation by an oral disease specialist to obtain a correct diagnosis of the lesions. Eight hundred and forty-nine patients were examined during the campaign. Among them, 39 had oral lesions, 33 attended for re-evaluation and proper diagnosis conducted by the dentist specializing in oral diseases. Of the reassessed patients, 28 (71.79%) were diagnosed with benign oral lesions, while 11 (28.20%) were diagnosed with normal oral variation and none (0%) were diagnosed with malignant lesions. The low rate of oral cancer diagnosis detected during this campaign can be attributed to the lack of oral cancer prevention campaign methodologies, which need to be improved to reach patients at real risk of developing oral cancer. In addition, the diagnosis of benign oral lesions among patients referred with rates of suspicious lesions suggests a lack of knowledge of dental surgeons regarding neoplasms.