(Cancer survivor and NCP chief, Sharad Pawar said he regretted consuming tobacco & supari and wished someone had warned him to get rid of the habit 40 years ago. He said he suffered tremendously because of the surgery, the removal of teeth and the resulting difficulty in opening his mouth wide, in swallowing food and talking.)
Gutkas, bidis and cigarettes, in India, tobacco is consumed in many forms. India ranks second only to China in the total number of tobacco users. Unfortunately, India also has the world’s highest incidences of oral cancer and contributes to a fourth of worldwide deaths from the disease.
While individuals of low socioeconomic status generally bear the brunt of the disease, new trends are emerging including increasing incidence rates among younger adults who have traditionally had very low rates of oral cancer.
Although overall tobacco use has declined in India, the prevalence remains high for bidis and smokeless tobacco such as gutka, which are more likely to cause oral cancers.