The Prevalence of Potentially Malignant Disorder (Leukoplakia) among Tobacco Users

Introduction: Leukoplakia is the most common premalignant or potentially malignant lesion of the oral mucosa. The annual percentage of malignant transformation varies as a result of differences in tobacco and dietary habits. For both genders, cancer of the mouth and pharynx ranks sixth overall in the world. In industrialized countries, men are affected two to three times as often as women, largely due to higher use of alcohol and tobacco.

Methodology: Archives from the past 2 years (2017-2018) were accessed from Saveetha Dental College. The inclusion criteria was the type of leukoplakia, site affected, age and sex of the patient. The exclusion criteria were the non-tobacco users. The data was collected and statistically analysed.

Results: There exists a male predilection to the occurrence of leukoplakia among the screened population. A correlation between gender and leukoplakia had a positive correlation for the male gender and types 1,4 leukoplakia and had a slight positive correlation.

Conclusion: The incidence of leukoplakia among tobacco users is high as compared to the non tobacco users. The male population is at a higher risk. More incidences of homogenous and speckled leukoplakia has been reported within the 2 years.