Prevalence of lip lesions in an Indian population

OBJECTIVES Lip lesions are a frequent cause of consultation in dentistry, as they comprise a significant proportion of the oral lesions. The aim of the present study was to identify the different lip lesions and determine their prevalence in an Indian population. MATERIAL AND METHODS 5231 patients visiting a Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology were examined for the presence of different lip lesions during the period from October, 2011 to May, 2013. The statistical analysis was done using Chi-square test and p<0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. RESULTS The age of the patients ranged from 8-70 years with a mean age of 32.6 years. The prevalence of lip lesions was 18.8%. The most commonly diagnosed lesions were those due to infections, which affected 32.6% of the population, followed by mucocele (29.8%) and premalignant lesions and conditions which were observed in 20.6% of the population. Males were more commonly affected than females. CONCLUSIONS The relatively high prevalence of the lip lesions suggests dental practitioners and health care workers to educate the patients and create more awareness regarding them. The dentists should have adequate knowledge about the etiology, clinical features, diagnosis and management of the lip lesions. Key words: Lip, lesions, India, prevalence.