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Objectives: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions (OMLs) in patients attending outpa
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tient dental clinics in Sana`a university, Yemen, and to evaluate the association of such lesions with age, gender,
and oral habits.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 409 subjects (272 males, 137 females, age: 15-86
years). Detailed clinical examination was performed in accordance with international criteria. Patient history in
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cluded age, gender, education, denture wearing and risk habits (tobacco use and qat chewing). Data were analyzed
using SPSS 19.00.
Results: The prevalence of OMLs was 58.4% with a significant difference between men (63.6%) and women
(48.2%;
P
< 0.05). The most common lesions were fissured tongue (37.2%), hairy tongue (15.9%), tumors and
tumor-like lesions (9.8%), qat-induced white lesions (9.3%) and racial pigmentation (5.9%). Overall OMLs pre
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valence was linked to risk habits and age; qat chewing was statistically significant risk factor for having fissured
tongue (OR: 1.77), hairy tongue (OR: 2.74), and white lesions (OR: 2.39) (
P
< 0.05). Cigarette smoking was statis
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tically significant risk factor for having hairy tongue (OR: 2.82), white lesions (OR: 3.60) and tumors and tumor-
like lesions (OR: 2.91) (
P
< 0.01). The increase in age was statistically significant risk factor for having tumors and
tumor-like lesions (OR: 1.04;
P
< 0.001).
Conclusions: The current results indicate that the occurrence of OMLs among Yemeni adults is high and emphasize
that risk habits and age have some relationship with the presence of OMLs.
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