Prevalence of Oral mucosal lesions and their association with Pattern of tobacco use among patients visiting a dental institution

Abstract

Background: Oral mucous membrane is an integral part of the complex oral cavity which is associated with maintenance of oral as well as general body health. Oral mucosal lesion (OML) is one of the most prevalent diseases in India, which is caused by consumption of smokeless and smoked forms of tobacco. Aim: To assess the prevalence of OMLs and their association with pattern of tobacco use among patients visiting dental institution in Bhilai. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study included 872 participants who visited the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Rungta College of Dental Science and Research, and fulfilled the inclusion criteria, and the study was carried out from July to September 2016. Self-designed proforma was used for recording demographic details, and WHO Assessment Form for Oral Mucosal Diseases was used to record the tobacco use status and findings of the clinical and laboratory investigation. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS version 23, and the mean, frequency, and percentage were calculated. Results: Among the 872 participants, 69.26% were male and 30.74% were female. The mean age of the study population was 46.19 ± 12.33 years. The prevalence of tobacco use among study participants was 51.26% and that of the OML was 36.36%. Aphthous ulcer was the most prevalent OML followed by oral submucous fibrosis and leukoplakia. Conclusion: The study emphasizes the harmful effects of tobacco use toward oral mucous membrane and also serves as a path for future tobacco cessation programs that would be helpful to prevent OML.