Traditional Risk Factors
• Tobacco and alcohol remain significant risk factors for non-HPV head and neck cancers
• Māori have disproportionately higher rates of smoking and alcohol consumption
• Smoking-related head and neck cancers have been declining in most countries
Source: NZ Health Survey; Weaver A et al. (2024)
HPV as a Risk Factor
• HPV (especially type 16) is now the dominant cause of oropharyngeal cancer
• HPV-related cancers more common in non-smokers and younger adults
• Strong correlation with higher numbers of oral sexual partners (≥6 lifetime partners)
• No reliable screening test exists for HPV-related head and neck disease
Source: STIEF Guidelines NZ; Lucas-Roxburgh R et al. (2017)
Access to Healthcare
• 32.8% of Māori live in rural areas vs 26.3% of NZ Europeans
• Only 20.6% of the GP workforce works in rural areas
• >6% of Māori adults unable to visit a GP due to lack of transport (2020)
• 73% of Māori visit dental health workers only for acute problems vs 50.9% of others
• Māori adults 1.5 times more likely to report cost as a barrier to seeing a GP
Source: Weaver A et al. (2024); NZ Health Survey (2020/21)