Local health departments can be resources for the public and health professionals to access educational materials on a variety of topics. Though the dental office is ideal, it should not be the only venue for obtaining oral cancer educational materials. As part of a cancer prevention and early detection project, this pilot study solicited printed educational materials concerning oral cancer from all local health departments (LHDs) in Illinois. Sixty of the 94 health departments responded, for a response rate of 63.8%. Only 32 had printed oral cancer educational materials for public and professional distribution, and most focused on tobacco. Forty-eight different samples were received. At least one risk factor was identified in all materials. The most common was tobacco usage, present in 100% of the materials. Twenty-nine (61%) identified tobacco use as the only risk factor. Alcohol consumption, the second most frequently identified risk factor, was mentioned in only 12 (26%) of the materials. Few materials comprehensively covered areas such as signs and symptoms, risk factors, and the importance of examinations for early detection. Only five materials (11%) acknowledged that early lesions are often asymptomatic.
