Comparative trends in oral cancer burden across the globe, China, Europe, the US, Southeast Asia, and Africa (1990–2021): a GBD 2021 analysis

The burden of oral cancer exhibits distinct temporal and regional variations, with significant differences in incidence, mortality, and DALYs across global regions. Such differences are strongly associated with region-specific risk factor patterns, and these patterns also vary by age and sex. These insights highlight the need for targeted prevention strategies tailored to regional, age, and sex characteristics, including anti-smoking interventions in older Chinese men, alcohol control measures in younger European and American men, and efforts to reduce chewing tobacco use among older Southeast Asian women, to effectively mitigate the global burden of oral cancer.