KARACHI: Marking April as Oral Cancer Awareness Month, like elsewhere in the world, the Fatima Jinnah Dental College (FJDC) ran a month-long campaign comprising different activities, including educational lectures and screening camps, to raise awareness about the disease that is second most common cancer in the country as per the Pakistan Medical Research Council.
According to the council approximately 30 percent of all cancer cases reported in Pakistan are of oral cancer, attributing it to common use of tobacco and betel nuts in the country, which increases the risk of developing this disease.
Despite such high prevalence, public awareness of the signs and symptoms of oral cancer is limited, resulting in late-stage diagnosis and poor survival rates among the patients.
FJDC CEO Dr Hussain Askary, as an advocate of preventive dentistry, ensured that his college and hospital play an active role in spreading awareness about the disease and its prevention by dedicating the entire month to it.
For the purpose the FJDC organised campaigns, including educational lectures, and screening camps for students, faculty, and patients, to educate them on the significance of oral cancer prevention and to instill in the students a sense of obligation to fight this disease.
FJDC also conducted free dental treatment for children and a School Dental Health Programme, providing more than 300 schoolchildren free screenings and educating them on the harmful effects of bad habits like chewing paan and gutka, which are common in Pakistan.
Seminars were also held on the college and hospital campuses, where senior faculty members gave lectures on oral cancer, and the students and teaching staff had lively discussions on new initiatives to decrease the prevalence of oral cancer in the country.
The FJDC awareness drive especially stressed the need for an early diagnosis and prevention of oral cancer.
