Prevalence and correlation of oral lesions among tobacco smokers, tobacco chewers, areca nut and alcohol users.

INTRODUCTION: The incidence of oral premalignant and malignant lesions is on the rise due to an increased number of people taking in tobacco and alcohol related habits.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: 1028 patients with tobacco, alcohol and areca nut habits attending our Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology formed the study sample. An interviewer based questionnaire was used to record the habit details. All the patients were then examined clinically for the presence of lesions. Chi square and Fisher exact tests were used to assess the statistical significance of the study parameters.

RESULTS: Males had a higher prevalence and comprised 87.9% of the sample. The commonest habit in this study sample was smoking (39.2%) followed by smokeless tobacco use (28.1%). Out of the 1028 patients with habits 40% had no clinically detectable changes in their mucosa. Of the mucosal changes leukoplakia (14%) was the commonest.

CONCLUSIONS: This study provided information about the habit trends in the patients visiting this institution. The study may serve as a useful tool in educating the patients about the deleterious effects of oral tobacco, alcohol and betel exposure.