ABSTRACT
Background: Smoking, drinking and chewing tobacco producthave been positively associated with oral lesions. The objectiveof the present study was to determine the prevalence oforomucosal lesions in relation to tobacco habit among a NorthIndian population.Materials and Methods: The present retrospective study wasstudy conducted among 1840 patients who reported in thedepartment of dentistry at NSCB Medical College Jabalpur MP.Along with patient's demographic details, information regardingthe type of habits, duration, frequency, site of placement,period of contact with mucosa, and history of discontinuation ofhabit were recorded using a standardized interviewer-basedquestionnaire. The diagnoses of clinically suspicious lesionswere confirmed by biopsy. Tobacco-related OMLs werediagnosed based on the clinical features. The collected datawere tabulated, and frequency and distribution tables of OMLswere generated using Statistical Package for Social Sciencesversion 21 (SPSS for Windows, Version 21.0. Chicago, SPSSInc.).Results: In the present study total patients were 3250 in which1840 patients were having habits. 58.69% males were havinghabits and 41.30% females were having habits. 67.59% maleswere smokers, 21.85% males were chewers and 10.55%males were having mixed smokers. 63.15% males weresmokers, 28.94% males were chewers, and 7.89% maleswere having mixed smokers. 36.90% patients were smokers,42.38% patients were chewers and 20.71% patients werehaving both smoking and chewing habits. The prevalence oftobacco coated tongue (31.57%) was highest in femaleswhereas in males prevalence of smoker’s melanosis (30.46%)was highest among all oromucosal lesions.Conclusion: Our study concluded that in both males andfemales smoking tobacco habit was more common thanchewing. The prevalence of tobacco coated tongue washighest in females whereas in males prevalence of smoker’smelanosis was highest among all oromucosal lesions.