Incidence of oral white lesions in patients attending a private dental hospital

The oral cavity is vulnerable to a limitless number of environmental insults; white lesions are common findings in the oral cavity. White lesions in the oral cavity may be benign, premalignant or malignant. Early determination is the most significant single factor in battling oral malignancy and improving endurance rate. So white lesions occurring in the oral mucosa are promptly needed to be identified and treated. The aim of the study was to determine the incidence of oral white lesions occurring among patients visiting a private dental hospital. A total of 10,000 patient data were selected for the study; patients who reported to the dental college between June 2019 to March 2020 were included for the study. This was a retrospective study, and the data were obtained from patient case records, and the data were reviewed for the presence of white lesions. White lesions coexisting with other types of lesions such as red lesions, vesiculoerosive lesions, pigmented lesions etc. have been excluded from the study. The overall incidence of white lesions was found to be 7.3 per 1000 per year. The number of oral white lesions was 0.65% in males and 0.08% in females. The number of Leukoplakia was 26.03% in male, and 1.37% in female, OSMF 24.66% in male and 4.11% in female, Tobacco pouch keratosis 31.51% in males and chemical burn 4.11% in males and 2.74% in females, candidiasis was 2.74% in both male and female. From the present study, we can conclude that the typical white lesion in the oral cavity is tobacco pouch keratosis and most of the lesions belong to the category of potentially malignant disorders hence the timely diagnosis of these lesions is paramount and can minimize the progression of oral cancer.