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Llewellyn CD, Johnson NW et al. J Oral Pathol Med 2004; 33: 525–532

There is limited evidence about oral cancer risk factors in younger patients. In these patients there is less time for the traditional risk factors to cause cancer. In this study, 53 newly-diagnosed subjects (mean age 38.5 yrs) were compared with 91 matched controls. Subjects were recruited from 14 hospitals in southeast England.

In the cases, 53% were smokers and in the controls, 26%. Respective ex-smoker proportions were 15% and 42%. For this sample, smoking alone did not produce a significant odds ratio, but ex-smokers had a significant reduction in risk (OR = 0.2; 95% CI: 0.5-0.8). Males who started smoking before age 16 had an OR of 14.3 (CI: 1-179) for cancer. A significant risk reduction was found for high levels of fresh fruit and vegetable consumption in females (0.08; CI: 0.01-0.8). The authors mention that there was a sub-group of young oral cancer patients, mainly female, in whom little exposure could be found to the major risk factors.