[Oral cancer epidemiology in a public laboratory in Mato Grosso State, Brazil].

This study analyzed oral cancer epidemiology based on histopathology reports from a public laboratory in Mato Grosso, Brazil, after a specific policy was implemented for treating oral and facial diseases in the State. This was a cross-sectional epidemiological study, based on 1,324 histopathology reports issued from January 2005 to December 2006. The study identified 44 cases of oral cancer, or 3% of all oral lesions, and analyzed them in relation to the following variables: histological type, gender, age, and patient's place of residence (capital versus rest of State). The most common histological type was squamous cell carcinoma. Most of the diagnoses occurred in men in their 50s and 60s living in the interior of the State. During two years in operation, this public oral pathology service had recorded a considerable number of oral cancer cases.