Risk of oral cancer associated with tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption and oral hygiene: a case-control study in Madrid, Spain

Oral cancer is a disease whose principal etiological factors are tobacco and alcohol consumption, which if controlled could help avoid many tumors. However, consumption has continued to grow for years. We have studied the risk of the principal factors established in the development of oral cancer and the influence of the oral hygiene level on the appearance of these tumors. Seventy-five cases of oral cancer and 150 controls from the Madrid community were interviewed on tobacco and alcohol consumption habits and their oral hygiene level. The Odds Ratio (OR) for consumption of 6-20 cigarettes/day is 3.1 and 7.96 for more than 20 cigarettes/day. When more than 50 g of alcohol/day is consumed the risk results in an OR of 5.3. Daily brushing is a protective factor (OR, 0.41). In conclusion, the most important risk factor for developing oral cancer is tobacco consumption followed by alcohol consumption.