Prevalence of tobacco associated oral mucosal lesions in the population of Mahabubnagar District of Telangana State: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Aim: We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of tobacco-associated oral mucosal lesions in Mahabubnagar district of Telangana state in South India. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Mahabubnagar district for 6 months on 3200 subjects of both rural and urban people and the study was carried out by conducting camps at the Government Hospitals to assess the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions. People aged from 16 to 75 years, both men and women in same proportions, were included in the study. Results: 750 subjects had the habit of tobacco usage among a total of 3200 subjects. Among the 750 subjects, 225 (30.0%) subjects were being diagnosed with oral mucosal lesions. Of 225 subjects, 6 (2.67%) subjects had erythroplakia, 22 (9.78%) subjects had leukoplakia, 58 (25.78%) subjects had lichenoid reaction, 62 (27.56%) subjects had oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF), 45 (20.0%) subjects had palatal hyperkeratosis, and 32 (14.22%) subjects had tobacco pouch keratosis. Conclusion: From this study, we can conclude that prevalence of oral mucosal lesions was seen in tobacco-related oral habits where palatal hyperkeratosis was found among smokers; similarly OSMF was more among tobacco chewers and potentially malignant disorders were more prevalent in tobacco chewers than smokers.