Objectives: Malignant neoplasm of other and ill-defined sites in the lip, oral cavity and pharynx (OC) are major public health problems in all regions of the world. Their impact on individuals and communities as a result of the reduced quality of life they cause is considerable. The aim of our study was to determine the epidemiological disease burden of OC.

Methods: Data were derived from the financial database of the Hungarian National Health Insurance Fund Administration (NHIFA), for the year 2018. Data analysed included annual patient numbers, case numbers and prevalence of care utilisation per 100,000 population according to age groups and sex. The following health insurance treatment categories were included into our study: general practice care, home care, in- and outpatient care, medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, drugs and medical aids. Patients with OC were identified with the following code of the International Classification of Diseases 10^th revision: C14.

Results: The highest national patient numbers were in outpatient care: 916 men and 342 women in total 1,258 patients, followed by general practice care (842 men and 334 women, in total 1,176), and case numbers associated with the utilisation of pharmaceuticals (583 men, 221 women, in total 804). Based on patient numbers in acute inpatient care, prevalence in 100,000 among men was 7.4 patients, among women 2.2 patients, in total 4.7 patients. As regards sex distribution in acute inpatient care 75.9% of patients were men and 24.1% were women, while in the case of medical aids utilisation 72.8% were men and 27.2% were women.

Conclusions: Prevalence of CO was found to be 3.4 times higher among men than among women. Oral cancer rates increase with age.