Prevalence of oral pre-malignant and malignant lesions at a tertiary level hospital in Allahabad, India.

OBJECTIVE In a previous article, we reported the prevalence rates of oral mucosal lesions in this hospital from 1990-2001. This study was planned to study the spectrum of potentially malignant and malignant oral lesions in Allahabad, North India in the subsequent years till 2007 and to assess change in pattern of prevalence, if any. MATERIALS AND METHODS This is a single institutional retrospective study in and around Allahabad from 1990 to 2007. Data was collected year wise with reference to age, sex, site involved and histopathological findings. RESULTS 1,151 oral biopsies were reviewed. Of these, 365 biopsies were benign, 344 were potentially malignant and 442 were malignant. The buccal mucosa was the most frequently involved site in benign and premalignant lesions, however in malignant lesions, the tongue was most common site. Oral submucous fibrosis constituted the highest number of patients in premalignant group, while in malignant group, squamous cell carcinoma was most prevalent. CONCLUSION This study showed that potentially malignant and malignant oral lesions were widespread in the patients visiting the hospital in this region.