DOI: 10.36347/sajb.2015.v03i01.006

Pages: 30-33

Tobacco is a potential risk for malignancy in oral cavity and is widely prevalent among all types of tobacco users. It is important to estimate the pre malignant lesions among the selected age group of tobacco were at periodic intervals. The objective is to find the prevalence of Erythroplakia and Leukoplakia among tobacco users aged above 60 years in rural community of Pondicherry Community based, cross sectional study was conducted during September and October 2014 by interviewing the subjects at their doorsteps using the pre designed questionnaire. A sample of 250 subjects from a village belongs to Kumarpalayam PHC was selected. The information collected related to demographic, tobacco user details and risk factors followed by oral examination in the good sunlight. There were 124 men and 126 women aged above 60 years as subjects with their mean age as 69.7+7.8 years. Many of the subjects were illiterates, non agricultural sector workers and the duration of tobacco was not less the 25 years. The prevalence of Erythroplakia and Leukoplakia was 10 percent and 80 percent of the lesions were single with varying sizes. The prevalence of pre malignant lesions is high among the chronic tobacco users of elderly population. It is necessary to do in depth study by comparing the prevalence with non tobacco users in the specific age group population.