Prevalence of oral mucosal lesions in patients of the Kuwait University Dental Center

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to determine the number, types, and locations of oral mucosal lesions in patients who attended the Admission Clinic at the Kuwait University Dental Center to determine prevalence and risk factors for oral lesions.Subjects and methodsIntraoral soft tissue examination was performed on new patients seen between January 2009 and February 2011. The lesions were divided into six major groups: white, red, pigmented, ulcerative, exophytic, and miscellaneous.ResultsFive hundred thirty patients were screened, out of which 308 (58.1%) had one or more lesions. A total of 570 oral lesions and conditions were identified in this study, of which 272 (47.7%) were white, 25 (4.4%) were red, 114 (20.0%) were pigmented, 21 (3.7%) were ulcerative, 108 (18.9%) were exophytic, and 30 (5.3%) were in the miscellaneous group. Overall, Fordyce granules (n = 116; 20.4%) were the most frequently detected condition. A significantly higher (p < 0.001) percentage of older patients (21–40 years and ⩾41 years) had oral mucosal lesions than those in the ⩽20 years age group. A significantly higher (p < 0.01) percentage of smokers had oral mucosal lesions than did nonsmokers. Most of the lesions and conditions were found on the buccal mucosa and gingiva.ConclusionsWhite, pigmented, and exophytic lesions were the most common types of oral mucosal lesions found in this study. Although most of these lesions are innocuous, the dentist should be able to recognize and differentiate them from the worrisome lesions, and decide on the appropriate treatment.