Investigation of the prevalence of potentially malignant and malignant oral lesions in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey: A 5-year retrospective study

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the region, frequency, distribution, age, and sex of histopathologically diagnosed oral malignant and oral potentially malignant lesions obtained from patients admitted to the Department of Pathology, Dicle University Faculty of Medicine, Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. Material and Method: The pathological data of oral malignant and potentially malignant lesions histopathologically diagnosed at the Department of Pathology, Dicle University Faculty of Medicine, between 2018 and 2023, were retrospectively reviewed. Potentially malignant and malignant oral lesions were classified, and their distribution according to region, age, and sex was analyzed. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to analyze the conformity of continuous variables to the normal distribution. The type I error level was accepted as 5% in statistical analyses. Results: Among 161 patients with oral or potential malignancy, 76 (47.2%) were female, and 85 (52.8%) were male, with a mean age of 53.9 ± 17.4 years. The most common lesions were found in the buccal mucosa (40.4%). When 104 malignant lesions were analyzed, the most common lesion was oral squamous cell carcinoma with a rate of 75%, and when 57 potentially malignant lesions were analyzed, 38 (66.7%) of the patients had lichen planus, and 19 (33.3%) had leukoplakia. Conclusion: This retrospective study shows the distribution, frequency, and characteristics of malignant lesions in the oral cavity in a group of populations, especially in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey, and allows comparison with studies in different populations. How to cite this article: Kaplan B, Alabalık U, Akşahin C, Çolak M, Ortaç H. Investigation of the prevalence of potentially malignant and malignant oral lesions in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey: A 5-year retrospective study. J Med Dent Invest 2023; 4: e230348. https://doi.org/10.5577/jomdi.e230348