A REVIEW OF SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL EFFORTS AT ORAL CANCER PREVENTIONS IN INDIA

Abstract: Background. Oral cancer is a major public health problem in South-Central Asia, home to one fifth of the world’s population. In most regions of India, it is themost common cancer inmenand the thirdmost common cancer in women. Prevention is an effective tool to reduce disease burden on society and may offer particular advantages in developing countries. Methods. The primary and secondary oral cancer preven-tion efforts in India were reviewed and presented. In addition, the scope of the oral cancer problem and the tobacco industry in India are discussed, and the chief etiologies in the region are summarized. Results and Conclusions. The effectiveness of these pre-vention efforts provides an excellent social/behavioral model for similar programs in other developing countries. Furthermore, similar programs may also be applicable to certain populations in schools or industries in the developed world. A 2004 Wile