Approaches in Chemoprevention of Oral Cancer by Vitamin A and Green Tea

Oral cancer is one of the most common cancers which is the 6th most prevalent cancer in the world. It has been
established that incidence of cancer increases with age. The diagnosis of oral cancer is easily possible by a
visit of the dentistry. According to various studies, oral cancer is preventable and numerous epidemiological
studies have approved the positive effects of daily consumption of vegetables in reducing the risk of oral
cancer. Chemical prevention is the use of drugs for prevention and suppression of natural or precancerous
cells from transforming into cancerous cells. Vitamin A and green tea have antioxidant properties. Various
studies have confirmed the effects of 13-cis retinoic acid in preventing dysplasia and leukoplakia of oral cells,
but other studies have shown that the long-term use of 13-cis retinoic acid as a preventative chemical has side
effects and also, probability of recurrence is very high. Green tea is another widely used substance in the
prevention of malignancy. In various studies, the anticancer effects of green tea and particularly its impact on
the prevention of oral cancer has been demonstrated. Polyphenols found in green tea are known as inhibiting
factors for the processes involved in growth and metastasis of cancerous cells. High acceptance of green tea
and also the fact that it leaves no side effects makes it considered as a suitable substance for chemopreventive
procedures against cancer and particularly oral cancer. In this article we compared the effect of the vitamin A
and green tea’s effects on oral cancer prevention and care