Abstract C128: Prevalence of tobacco use, potentially malignant lesions and oral cancer among Irula tribes, Nilgiri hills, Tamilnadu, India
Authors: Francis Delfin Lovelina 
Published: January 2023

Background: Despite remarkable world-wide progress in the field of diagnostic, curative and preventive medicine, still there are large populations of people living in isolation in natural and unpolluted surroundings far away from civilisation, maintaining their traditional values, customs, beliefs and myths. They are commonly known as tribes and are considered to be the indigenous people of the land. The Imperial Gazetteer of India, 1911, defines a tribe as a “collection of families bearing a common name, speaking a common dialect, occupying or professing to occupy a common territory and is not usually endogamous though originally it might have been so”. India has the second largest tribal population of the world next to the African countries. About half of the world’s autochthonous people live in India, thus making India home to many tribes which have an interesting and varied history of origins, customs and social practices. In spite of the tremendous advancement in the field of preventive and curative medicine, the health care delivery system in these primitive tribal people are still poor and need to be strengthened. Hence this study was contemplated with an aim to assess the prevalence of tobacco use, potentially malignant lesions and oral cancer among Irula tribes, Nilgiri hills, Tamilnadu, India. Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted to assess the tobacco use potentially malignant lesions and oral cancer among Irula tribes. Data was collected using a pretested Questionnaire, which included Demographic data, tobacco habits, its frequency and form. Oral examination was done by a single examiner. The data collected was analysed using SPSS version15. Results: Results showed that among 240 study population, showed 57% had no formal education, 34.5% had not visited dentist before. 64.5% had indigenous brushing habits. 52% of oral mucosal lesions and 6% malignant oral tumors were observed. A very high prevalence of periodontal disease, tobacco chewing, deep rooted beliefs and customs regarding dentition and dental treatment was observed in this community. Prevalence of oral mucosal lesions in the study population was due to tobacco usage and lack of awareness regarding the deleterious effects of the products used. Conclusion: The dangers from smoking and chewing tobacco are well documented within the literature but the public’s lack of knowledge of the risks is a concern. Health professionals are encouraged to ensure that the public is made aware of these risks, especially those within high-risk groups.

Citation Format: Delfin Lovelina Francis. Prevalence of tobacco use, potentially malignant lesions and oral cancer among Irula tribes, Nilgiri hills, Tamilnadu, India [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 15th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2022 Sep 16-19; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr C128.