Dr. SOEURN Visal
UP is developing an earlier 2018 study to exploring betel quid chewing practices of rural Cambodians. Betel quid chewing and smoking are important risk factors for oral cancer, which affects hundreds of mainly older rural Cambodians each year.
This international research is a collaboration between MAHSA University in Malaysia, Kaohsiung Medical University in Taiwan, the MOH, and UP.
This Betel quid project is a potential life-saver as many of those affected die within 5 years of diagnosis due to late presentation and limited treatment.
The survey team was lead by Dr Sieng Chantida (a recent UP dental graduate) and undergraduate dental students Hen Sopheakta, Im Puthisa, Han Pheara and Sovan Rithy. The group spent 3 days in Svay Rieng province, interviewing 90 betel quid chewers, as well as conducting focus group interviews with several groups of young and middle aged non-chewers.
The team will soon visit Kampong Cham province where betel quid chewing is also common, to repeat the data collection. The results will inform the development of interventions to decrease the prevalence of this dangerous habit, as well as guide MOH policies on betel quid chewing in Cambodia in the future.
