Journal of Dental Research, Vol 80, 1486-1490, Copyright © 2001 by International & American Associations for Dental Research Online Journals
Oral mucosal lesions in adult Chinese
H. C. Lin, E. F. Corbet and E. C. Lo
Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Prince Philip Dental Hospital.
The objectives of this analysis were to determine the prevalence of oral
mucosal lesions (OML) among adults in Southern China and to determine
possible associations between OML and reported tobacco-smoking and
alcohol-drinking habits. The sample consisted of 1,573 35- to 44-year-old
and 1,515 65- to 74-year-old Chinese from both urban and rural areas of
Guangdong Province. The subjects were interviewed by trained interviewers
and underwent a clinical examination of the oral mucosa performed according
to WHO guidelines. A specially prepared color atlas of OML was used for
lesion recognition and confirmation during the survey. Among the 35- to
44-year-old subjects, the overall prevalence of OML was found to be 13% in
urban men, 6% in urban women, 15% in rural men, and 4% in rural women. The
corresponding figures for the 65- to 74-year-olds were 22%, 12%, 26%, and
19%. Tongue lesions and white lesions were relatively common, but
denture-related lesions were not. No malignancies or erythroplakia was
observed. Age and gender were found to relate to the occurrence of OML. In
elderly men, smoking was significantly (p < 0.05) associated with some
white lesions and tongue lesions, and alcohol drinking was also associated
with some white lesions. In conclusion, tongue lesions and white lesions
were relatively common in men, but pre-cancerous lesions were not
prevalent.
