ABSTRACT
The diagnosis and management of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) should be the same the world over, but there are important nuances in incidence, aetiological factors, and management opportunities that may lead to differences based on ethnogeography. In this review, we update and discuss current international trends in the classification and diagnosis of OPMD with reference to our experience in various regions in Oceania. Oceania includes the islands of Australia, Melanesia (including Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Micronesia and Polynesia (including New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga) and hence has diverse populations with very different cultures and a range from well-resourced high-population density cities to remote villages.
ABSTRACT
Oral cancer constitutes the majority of head and neck cancers, which are the fifth most common malignancy worldwide, accounting for an estimated 984,430 cases in 2012. Between 2000 and 2010, there were 1,916 cases of OSCC in New Zealand with a male to female ratio of 1.85:1, and an age-standardised incidence rate of 42 persons per 1,000,000 population. This article presents an overview of the main risk factors for oral and oropharyngeal cancers and their prevalence in New Zealand. Alcohol consumption is the most prevalent risk factor in New Zealand, followed by tobacco. Given the high prevalence of these two risk factors and their synergistic effect, it is important for doctors and dentists to encourage smoking cessation in smokers and to recommend judicious alcohol intake. Research is needed to determine the prevalence of use of oral preparations of tobacco and water-pipe smoking in New Zealand, especially due to changing demography and increases in migrant populations. UV radiation is also an important risk factor. Further investigations are also needed to determine the prevalence of oral and oropharyngeal cancers attributable to oncogenic HPV infection.
