Awareness and knowledge of risk factors associated with oral cancer among military personnel in Nigeria.

Background: The military lifestyle has been reported to increase the risk of this population group to the development of oral cancer.

Aim: This study aimed to determine the awareness and knowledge of oral cancer in a population of soldiers to acquire data for establishing an educational program for units of the Nigerian Army in oral cancer prevention and monitoring. The study was conducted in the dental center of 82 Division Military Hospital, Nigerian Army, Enugu, Nigeria. A cross-sectional survey was performed using a pre-tested self-administered questionnaire.

Materials And Methods: Questions relating to oral cancer awareness, knowledge of causes, and relationship to certain habits, treatment options, and desirability of screening opportunities for oral cancer were asked. Soldiers attending the military hospital, dental center, were chosen randomly for the study.

Results: Three hundred soldiers were surveyed. The mean age of those surveyed was 37.5 and had spent an average of 11-15 years in the Army. The majority of the soldiers (80.7%) have heard of cancer; the types most known were breast (75%), skin (30%), and lung cancer (28.3%). Of the 300 soldiers surveyed, 15.3% knew about oral cancer, with 41.3% of these able to identify cigarette smoking and (26%) alcohol consumption as possible risk factors associated with oral cancer. The majority believed that cancer was caused by some form of supernatural phenomenon.

Conclusion: Oral cancer awareness is low among soldiers in the Nigerian Armed Forces, and strategies to increase awareness should be developed.