Prevalence of Oral Mucosal Changes in Areas of Northern Haryana-An Institutional Study

Abstract

Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of oral mucosal changes (OML) in Yamuna nagar (Haryana) and to determine the association of these lesions in relation to age, gender and habits. Methodology: The study sample consisted of 3960 patients collected from outpatients seeking dental treatment in Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology at Yamuna Institute of Dental Sciences and Research, Yamuna nagar. The subjects were interviewed and a clinical examination of the oral mucosa was performed according to WHO guidelines. A specially prepared color atlas of OML was used for lesion recognition and confirmation. Statistical Analysis: The data obtained was tabulated and subjected to statistical analysis utilizing the SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) software version 10.0. Pearson chi-square test was applied to test the significance between mucosal changes with respect to age and habits. Results: The overall classification among 3960 samples showed 1449 cases presented with one or more mucosal changes/lesions/ conditions. Among 1449 lesions, 990 mucosal changes were either normal variants or developmental anomalies, 206 were traumatic lesions, 224 were tobacco induced and 238 were miscellaneous conditions. Conclusion: The overall mucosal changes noted in the study were 36.59% and the most prevalent changes were linea Alba, and Fordyce’s granules. Mucosal changes were predominantly noted in males, in buccal mucosa and in the age group of 16-30 yrs.