Association of Socioeconomic Status and Oral Cancer Mortality in Brazil: Temporal Trends and Spatial Distribution

Objective: The objective of this observational study was to evaluate the relationship between the oral cancer mortality rate and socioeconomic indicators throughout the Brazilian territory, between 2010 and 2019.

Method: The variables used in this study were oral cancer mortality rates from the Mortality Information System (SIM) and population data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) to calculate oral cancer mortality rates, along with the Human Development Index (HDI) and Social Vulnerability Index (SVI). The analysis was performed in tertile stratifications (Microsoft Excel 16.0), while temporal trends were examined by segmented linear regression (JoinPoint 4.9.0).

Results: High mortality rates were observed in more developed regions (South and Southeast), whereas temporal analysis showed significant increasing trends in the North (annual percentage changes [APC] = +3.9%; p < 0.05) and Northeast (APC = +2.4%; p < 0.05) regions. The greater HDI (APC = +1.7%; p < 0.05) and SVI (APC = +2.2%; p < 0.05) tertiles had the lowest annual percentage increase, showing an inverse relationship between the temporal trend of mortality and socioeconomic indicators.

Conclusion: Despite the higher number of oral cancer deaths in regions with higher social indices, increasing temporal trends are more accentuated in regions with lower socioeconomic levels.