Public health interventions for the prevention and early detection of oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer at the national and international levels: A literature review

Abstract

Introduction: Oral cavity cancer represents a relevant public health problem in Chile due to its high morbidity and mortality, which is highly associated with diagnosis at advanced stages, despite being a largely preventable disease. Objective: This study analyzes the available evidence on public health interventions at the level of prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and management of oral cavity cancer, both international and national literature. Methodology: A bibliographic review of the scientific literature was conducted, including indexed publications and grey literature, prioritizing reviews, meta-analyses, and official documents from the last 10 years. Result: At the international level, the evidence supports the control of alcohol and tobacco consumption, together with vaccination against Human Papillomavirus, as the main pillars of primary prevention; while visual oral examination remains the method of choice for screening in high-risk populations due to its high cost-effectiveness and feasibility. In contrast, although in Chile there are regulatory policies and campaigns aimed at the main risk factors, there are no early detection programs nor standardized national clinical guidelines. Discussion: In agreement with previous Chilean reviews, this gap in management still persists, leading to delayed diagnoses, inequities in access to care, and poorer clinical outcomes. Conclusions: The implementation of systematic early detection strategies and the development of national clinical guidelines based on updated evidence represents a priority need to strengthen the response of the Chilean health system to oral cavity cancer.