Epidemiology of Non-Malignant Oral Lesions in a Rural Population Attending a Tertiary Care Centre in Lucknow, U.P., India

Abstract

Objective: To describe the epidemiology of non-malignant oral lesions in a rural population attending a tertiary care centre in Lucknow, India. Method: A total of 340 patients presenting with oral lesions for more than 2 weeks were enrolled in the study. Patients with proven malignancy, white patch in the oral cavity which can be scrapped off, e.g. oral candidiasis and urban patients were excluded from the assessment. Demographic profile, adverse oral habits and dietary habits of patients were noted. Data was analyzed using SPSS 21.0 software. Data has been represented as number and percentages. Results: Age of patients enrolled in the study ranged between 18 and 75 years, median age was 32 years and mean age was 33.86±10.65 years. Majority were aged 26-50 years (66.2%), were males (55.3%), were farmers/labourers (58.6%), were illiterate/educated upto primary grade (57.1%). Oral pain and burning sensation was the most common presenting complaint (45%). All the patients have two or more of the following habits – areca nut chewing, tobacco chewing and smoking. A total of 41.5% patients had all the three habits. Alcohol and spicy food consumption were reported by 12.6% and 84.4% patients. On histopathology, a total of 191 (56.18%) cases had premalignant lesions and 149 (43.82%) had benign lesions. Major premalignant types were leukoplakia (n=87; 45.5%), OSMF (n=62; 32.5%) and Erythroplakia (n=18; 9.4%). Aphthous ulcer major (n=74; 49.7%), geographical tongue (n=43; 28.9%) and traumatic ulcer (n=23; 15.4%) were the major benign lesions. Conclusion: In a rural population presenting with non-premalignant oral lesions areca nut, chewing tobacco and smoking were the major etiologies affecting mainly young adults. The high prevalence of premalignant lesions showed a high potential of their transformation to malignant status. Preventive measures with modification of oral habits are recommended. Keywords: Non-malignant oral lesions, Leukoplakia, oral submucous fibrosis, aphthous ulcer major, rural.