Prevalence of Oral Mucosal Lesions among Tobacco Users Visiting a Dental Hospital - A Retrospective Study

Oral Mucosal lesions(OMLs) are any alteration in oral mucosal surfaces which can cause discomfort and pain. The aim of this study is to analyse the common oral mucosal lesions among tobacco users visiting dental hospital. A retrospective study was conducted by evaluating and analysing 1113 patient case records visiting a dental hospital from June(2019) to March(2020) who were  tobacco users. Data such as age, gender, type of tobacco, site and type of lesions were documented. Descriptive analysis and Chi Square test were done. The result showed that prevalence of oral lesions were higher among patients of age group  20-40 years(50.6%) and among  males patients(96.6%). Leukoplakia(25.6%) and tobacco pouch keratosis(25.6%) were  commonly reported lesions. Among the patients who had presented with oral lesions, 87.3% of the tobacco users had only single oral lesions and  buccal mucosa(63.7%) being the most common site of occurence. The present study  provides epidemiological information on OMLs among patients seeking dental care,  which could be a valuable source for future community tobacco control programs .