Risk Assessment and Association of Oral Leukoplakia and Tobacco Related Habits in Jammu Region
1Dr Azra Kouser; 2Dr Rubeena Anjum; 3Dr Pradakhshana Vijay; 4Dr Manisha Koul; 5Dr Priyanka Singh; 6Syed Ali RaffanIntroduction: Leukoplakia is an asymptomatic and potentially malignant disorder in the oral mucosa and high frequencies have been reported among smokers. Tobacco chewing and smoking have been identified as major risk factors for oral pre-cancer and cancer in India. The incidence and prevalence of oral leukoplakia vary among different populations in India due to cultural and demographic differences.The present study emphasizes the assessment of leukoplakia and tobacco use, as well as the associations between the two, in the region of Jammu. This can aid in research and help in future efforts to frame policy-making in tobacco control. Aim and Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of oral leukoplakia and tobacco related habits and to assess the risk of developing oral leukoplakia in patients and tobacco-related habits among the inhabitants of Jammu region. Materials and Methods: A total of 120 cases were evaluated from July 2022- March 2024 based on age, gender, tobacco-related habits, and histopathological diagnosis. This study includes the histopathologically confirmed cases of the white lesions with no malignant changes during clinical diagnosis and Cases reported as carcinoma, patients associated with syndromes, and those patients with incomplete clinical or histopathological details were excluded.Pearson's correlation coefficient was utilized to assess the strength and relationship between variables. The statistical analysis between two variables was performed using the chi-square test. Specifically, the chi-square test was applied to examine the relationship between the duration of habits and histopathological diagnosis, with a p-value of less than 0.05 being considered statistically significant. Result and conclusion: Out of 120 white lesions identified, approximately 60 cases (50 %) were diagnosed as oral leukoplakia. Five percent of the population reported both tobacco and alcohol consumption. The age group most frequently affected was 41-50.Smoking was more commonly used by the study participants (73%) than tobacco consumption (27%).The oral health care providers must take utmost care and vigilance to diagnose the lesion at initial stages and provide appropriate treatment modalities and effective tobacco interventions and policy making for tobacco control.