The following statistics on oral cancer from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention appeared in the September 9 issue of American Medical News:

• The annual incidence of oral/pharyngeal cancers in US males is 15.7 per 100,000; for women, 6.0.
• States with the highest mortality rates are Alaska (4.1 per 100,000), Delaware (4.1), South Carolina (4.0) and Louisiana (3.7).
• States with the lowest mortality rates are Arkansas (2.2), Idaho (2.1), Wyoming (1.8), South Dakota (1.7) and Utah (1.3). The District of Columbia had a mortality rate of 6.8, more than twice the total national rate of 3.0.
• Based on data from 1983-90, the overall five-year survival rate for oral cancer was 52.5%. Only 34% of African-Americans survived five years after initial diagnosis, compared with 55% of the Caucasian population.
• More than 95% of oral cancers occur in persons older than 40, with a median age at diagnosis of 63 years, according to SEER data from 1973-85. Almost 39% of current snuff users had detectable oral lesions.
• Sixteen percent of males in grades six to 12 reported current or past use of smokeless tobacco products in 1986-87. (Source: ADA ONLINE, Sept. 18, 1996)