Prevalence of oral mucosal lesions among chewing tobacco users: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND

The increasing use of chewing tobacco (CT) in the last 10-12 years has led to an increased incidence of potentially malignant oral disorders and frank oral malignancies.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the frequency of oral mucosal lesions and to correlate the dose-response relationship among CT users of Bengaluru North province.

METHODS

This population-based cross-sectional study was conducted among a randomized cluster sample of adults in low-income group (slums), of Bengaluru North, Karnataka state, India.

METHODS

Nine hundred and one subjects, all CT users were surveyed in this cross-sectional study. A prestructured questionnaire which included information on type and amount of CT used, duration and frequency of use, and location of placement of tobacco in the oral cavity was used for assessment, which was followed by oral examination for the presence of lesions.

METHODS

Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used to assess the statistical significance.

RESULTS

Of the 901 subjects with CT habits, 55.8% revealed no clinically detectable oral mucosal changes and 44.1% showed mucosal changes of which 63.8% were males and 36.1% were females. The most common finding was chewers mucositis (59.5%) followed by submucous fibrosis (22.8%), leukoplakia (8%), lichenoid reaction (6.5%), oral cancer (2.7%), and lichen planus (0.5%).

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides information about different CT habits and associated mucosal lesions among this population.