Oral cancer and precancer: background, epidemiology and aetiology

This is the first in a series of articles on aspects of oral cancer and precancer being published to mark the 'Europe against Cancer' programme. It briefly covers the ways in which dentists may become involved in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with oral cancer, and describes the distribution and causes of the disease. Variations in incidence and mortality occur in different parts of the world, between the sexes and over time. Attention is drawn to some of the more striking examples of these, which can often be accounted for by exposure to, or protection from, one or more of the agents implicated in the aetiology of oral cancer.