title: Oral cancer exams among cigarette smokers in Maryland.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Current and former smokers are at increased risk to develop oral cancer. This analysis was performed to determine whether current and former smokers are more likely to undergo an exam for oral cancer than non-smokers.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Maryland Cancer Survey performed in 2002 was a population-based random digit dial, statewide survey on cancer screening and risk behaviors, targeting adults aged 40 years and older. The dataset contains self-reported information on oral cancer examinations, current smoking status, and health care access information for 4840 Maryland residents.
  
  
  RESULTS
  2062 (42.6%) of Marylanders aged 40 years and older reported ever having had an oral cancer examination. Dentists and dental hygienists performed 90.9% of the exams. Current and former smokers were no more likely than those who have never smoked to have ever had the examination (adjusted OR = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.85-1.23 and OR = 1.09, 95% CI = 0.94-1.25, respectively). Other predictors associated with having an oral cancer exam included having more than a high school of education, being female, non-black, being in good to excellent health, and having a recent physical exam. Having visited the dentist in the last year had the highest odds of having ever had an oral cancer exam.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Current and former smokers are a high-risk group who need to be targeted for oral cancer exams by dental professionals and primary care physicians.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 660 West Redwood Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ling
authors.forename: Shahinaz
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gadalla
authors.forename: Ebenezer
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Israel
authors.forename: Pat
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Langenberg
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhan
authors.forename: Diane M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Dwyer
authors.forename: Carmela
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Groves
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hopkins
authors.forename: Eileen K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Steinberger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003625:Data Collection; D003813:Dentistry; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008396:Maryland; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects