Prevalence of oral lesions among Saudi dental patients

Few studies have been conducted in the Saudi population on oral mucosal lesions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the type and extent of oral lesions in a study among dental patients at a college of dentistry in Saudi Arabia. Over a 3-year period, 2552 dental outpatients were interviewed and investigated clinically for the presence of oral mucosal conditions. A thorough oral clinical examination was performed, including a radiographic examination. The diagnosis was confirmed histopathologically when necessary. Of 383 [15.0%] patients found to have oral mucosal lesions, females constituted 57.7% [n=221] and males 42.3% [n=162]. The age range of the patients was between 15 to 73 years with a mean age of 38.2 years. The most commonly affected age group was 31 to 40 years, which comprised 21.4% [n=82] of all affected individuals. The least affected age group were individuals older than 61 years. The most common lesion was Fordyce granules [3.8%; n=98], followed by leudoedema [3.4%; n=86] and traumatic lesions [ulcer, erosion] in 1.9% [n=48]. Tongue abnormalities were present in 4.0% [n=101] of all oral conditions observed, ranging from 1.4% [n=36] for fissured tongue to 0.1% [n=2] for bifid tongue. Other findings detected were torous platinus [1.3%; n=34], mandibular tori [0.1%; n=2] aphthous ulcer [0.4%; n=10], herpes simplex [0.3%; n=7], frictional hyperkeratosis [0.9%; n=23], melanosis [0.6%; n=14], lichen planus [0.3%;n=9] and nicotinic stomatitis [0.5%;n=13]. The findings of this study provide information on the types and prevalence of oral lesions among Saudi dental patients. This provides baseline data for future studies about the prevalence of oral lesions in the general population

Prevalence of smoking among health care providers in eastern province, Saudi Arabia

The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of smoking among health care providers in the eastern province. Questionnaires were distributed to health care workers in Eastern province of Saudi Arabia. Out of 578 individuals only 15.1%[87] were smokers, occasional smokers were 13.3% [77], 4.7% were ex-smokers and the remaining 67% [387.] were non-smokers, The most common influencing factor was friends accounting for 66.7% [58/87]. A large number of the smokers 82.8% [72/87] had considered quitting smoking. Failure of attempts to quit smoking was largely due to lack of willpower 56.9% [41]. Most of the smokers were aware of the health hazards of smoking 93.1% [81] and 54.3% [44/87.] would check the nicotine level in cigarettes. It was concluded that smoking prevalence is relatively high among our hospital workers. Most of the smokers knew the harmful effects but did not succeed in quitting smoking due to various reasons