The research is conducted with financial assistance from the National Research Council.

The main reason for oral cancer in Sri Lankans is chewing betel, the sources said.

They said a betel chew has 32 cancerous substances and the people keep it in their mouth for a longer period.

This leads to injuries in tissues in the mouth, the sources said.

Meanwhile, specialist doctors said oral cancer is the commonest cancer among Sri Lankan males.

They said at least three Sri Lankans die from oral cancer daily while annually 19 new male patients and four new female patients are added to the list of oral cancer patients in Sri Lanka.

Thirteen percent of the total cancer patients in Sri Lanka are oral cancer patients, the doctors said.