| خلاصه مقاله | Background: When the issue of the relationship between smoking and oral health is raised, subject of losing teeth and bad breath (halitosis) comes to mind. But smoking is closely related to all kinds of oral lesions, many of which are precancerous. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to evaluate the prevalence and localization of various oral lesions associated with the tobacco smoking.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the medical records of patients visiting the department of oral medicine of faculty of dentistry of Tabriz university of medical sciences from January 2021 to January 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Inclusion criteria were patients smoking for a minimum of 12 months who did not have any systemic disease. From 562 medical records retrieved, 81 files were selected based on the inclusion criteria and 81 files from non-smoking patients matched for age and sex were included as well. The obtained data were analyzed statistically by SPSS 17 software. P value less than 0.05 was considered significant.
Results: The most common oral lesion in smokers was oral leukoplakia, affecting 17.8% of the subjects, followed by smoker's melanosis (11.9%) and hairy tongue (10.5%). Ninety seven percent of patients were male. The oral lesions were more common among patients older than 60 years (47.1%). However, there was no significant difference in the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions based on age distribution (p=0.07). The most common affected site by the intraoral lesions was the buccal mucosa (40.5 %) followed by lateral border of the tongue (34.6%), palate (10.3%), gingiva (6.5%), and floor of the mouth (4.1%). The most common oral lesion in non-smokers was oral lichen planus (12.6%). The oral lesions were significantly higher in smokers than in non-smokers (P=0.01).
Conclusion: The results of the current study showed the high prevalence of premalignant oral lesions like leukoplakia, among tobacco smokers. Therefore, regular screening and educative programs to increase the community awareness regarding the adverse effects of smoking on oral health is crucial. |