Prevalence of oral mucosal lesions and their correlation to adverse habits – a pilot study

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International Journal of Development Research

Volume: 
7
Article ID: 
8845
7 pages
Research Article

Prevalence of oral mucosal lesions and their correlation to adverse habits – a pilot study

Niha Naveed

Abstract: 

Background: Oral habits refer to the overindulgence in and dependence on chemical substances mainly in the form of tobacco and alcohol leading to effects that are detrimental to the individual’s physical and mental health. They have been positively associated with many oral lesions and conditions like leukoplakia, erythroplakia, tobacco pouch keratosis, oral submucous fibrosis etc., which may be potentially malignant. The reason to do this study is to help in public awareness about the ill effects of oral habits and to motivate them in overcoming their indulgence. Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of or different oralhabits, habit related oral lesions and the association between them among the study population. Materials and Methods: The study group comprised of 151 patients diagnosed with oral mucosal lesions and with positive history of oral habits. The study protocol included a visual oral soft tissue examination and a questionnaire-based interview. Based on the habits the study group was categorized into smokers, chewers and mixed (smoking+chewing) with alcohol as an adjunct. Data such as type of habit, quantity, duration etc., were also recorded. The data collected was tabulated and analysed for the correlation between them. Results: The study comprised of 151 patients of which 71 were males (47%) and 80 were females (53%) in the age group 40-75 years. Data revealed that in the male population, the most common lesion was oral submucous fibrosis (29.6%) and in the female population it was tobacco pouch keratosis (30%). It was found that smoker’s palate was the most common lesion seen in the smokers, leukoplakia was the most common lesion seen in the chewers, and oral sub mucous fibrosis was the most common lesion seen in patients reporting with a combination of all three habits. Conclusion: The result of the present study provides information on the association of oral mucosal lesions in smokers, chewers and patients with mixed habits. The oral mucosal lesions encountered included a few potentially malignant conditions and oral carcinoma. Increase in the duration and frequency of habits were significant predictors of risk in the study population.

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