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Updated: Apr 25, 2026

Author Spotlight: Unlocking the Mysteries of Oral Potential Malignancies
Published on: August 11, 2023
Opium usage as an etiologic factor of oral cavity cancer
Ebrahim Razmpa1, Babak Saedi, Maziar Motiee-langroudi
1From the *Department of Otolaryngology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, †Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, and Craniomaxillofacial Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, ‡Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; and §Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Trauma Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences; and Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Dental College, Azad University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Purposes:
The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of opium in causing oral cancer.
Patients And Methods:
Eighty patients and 80 selected matched controls who were referred to the ear-nose-throat department of an academic hospital were included in this study between October 2008 and September 2010. In addition to demographic data, information regarding alcohol, tobacco, and opium use was documented in the subjects. Finally, the effect of each risk factor was assessed.
Results:
There was no significant difference in patient demographics between the 2 groups. Smoking (P = 0.042) and poor oral hygiene (P = 0.016) significantly correlated with cancer. Finally, opium addiction showed a significant relationship with oral cavity cancer with an odds ratio of 4 (95% confidence interval, 1.2-13.6).
Conclusion:
Opium use is among the possible risk factors for oral cancer.
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