Educational interventions for oral cancer prevention and early detection in Latin America

Yivelin Fernández Queija, Learsys Ernesto Campello Trujillo, Marta María Capote Fernández, Ana Rodríguez Yanes and Lourdes Hernández Cuétara

SAP Dentistry, 2026

Abstract: Introduction: Oral cancer carries a high morbidity and mortality burden in Latin America and is often diagnosed at advanced stages. Education of patients and the community is proposed as a route to promote early recognition. Methods: Systematic review following PRISMA 2020. Scopus, EMBASE, OpenAlex, PubMed, Crossref and Semantic Scholar were searched from 2016 to 10 June 2026, without language restriction for English, Spanish and Portuguese. Results: Of 381 records identified, ten studies were included, seven from Cuba, two from Venezuela and one from Chile, all of before-after design with or without a control group. Knowledge of risk factors and warning signs increased in all ten studies; the proportion with adequate knowledge rose from 34.8% to 67.4% in one study and from 45.5% to 91.0% in another. Oral self-examination practice increased from 0% to 82.6% in the only study that quantified it at the fourth week. Conclusions: Educational interventions improved knowledge and oral self-examination practice, but the evidence is of low to moderate certainty because of the predominance of designs without a control group and small samples.

Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cwf:dentar:dent2026220

DOI: 10.62486/dent2026220

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