Prevalence of oral mucosal lesions in institutionalized elderly people in Mashhad, Northeast Iran.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions in institutionalized elderly people in Mashhad, northeast of Iran. BACKGROUND This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of oral lesions in the institutionalized elderly. METHODS In this survey, we studied all of the nursing homes in Mashhad; a total of five encompassing 237 residents. The subjects were examined and lesions recorded in a designed checklist. T-test, chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used for the analysis. RESULTS The mean age of the patients was 79.59 ± 8.88. Ninety-eight per cent of cases had at least one oral mucosal lesion. The most common lesions were fissured tongue (66.5%), atrophic glossitis (48.8%), sublingual varicosity (42%) and xerostomia (38%). There was no significant difference in the prevalence of denture-related lesions (DRLs) between men and women (p > 0.05). Xerostomia was more prevalent in 70-79-year-old than in 60-69-year-old subjects. No case of oral malignant lesion was detected. DISCUSSION These findings revealed a higher prevalence of oral mucosal lesions in Mashhad city compared with other studies conducted in other major cities in Iran and abroad. The results emphasise the necessity of national programmes towards oral health promotion.