A study of precancerous lesions for oral cancer in Jamnagar City

Abstract

Introduction: Oral cancer is a common malignancy, ranking first among all cancers in Western and Asian countries. It is preceded by some benign lesions or conditions, which are termed precancerous. Only one-third of people at the precancerous stage of disease succumb to cancer, it would be of practical importance to identify individuals at risk among them. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate high risk factors for oral cancer, to evaluate clinical features and correlate various factors to precancerous lesions and to determine incidence rate and magnitude of precancerous lesions in general population. Methods: In the study, 17,692 residents from different wards of Jamnagar city are clinically assessed for presence of precancerous lesions and interviewed by cross-sectional study. Results: It was found that prevalence rate of leukoplakia was found 0.93% while of OSMF was 1.75% in study population. All persons with precancerous lesions have addictions like tobacco chewing/smoking. Out of 5,652 persons with poor oral hygiene, leukoplakia was found in 2.54%, while OSMF in 1.67%. Conclusion: This study concluded that prevalence rate of precancerous lesion in general population of Jamnagar city is high. It is associated with habits of tobacco chewing and cigarette smoking.