Behind the betel nut smile: the quiet epidemic of oral cancer in Papua New Guinea

Yoon S. Byun/The Boston Globe via Getty Images If you’ve ever visited Papua New Guinea you’ll have been struck by the friendliness of the people, and their welcoming smiles. You might also have noticed some of those smiles are red. It’s caused by the chewing of “betel quid”, a mixture of unripe areca nut, mustard stick and slaked lime (calcium hydroxide). Chewing betel quid is commonly practised by the Indigenous people of PNG and ingrained in their culture. It is used as way of greeting…