Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Jan-Feb;14(1):39-43.
doi: 10.1016/j.jobcr.2023.11.006. Epub 2023 Dec 15.

Prevalence of tobacco and areca-nut use among patients attending dental teaching hospital in the central province of Sri Lanka and its association with oral mucosal lesions; a cross sectional study

Sumali Sumithrarachchi  1 , Isuru Athukorala  1 , Fazly Rumy  2 , Ruwan Jayasinghe  3
Affiliations

Prevalence of tobacco and areca-nut use among patients attending dental teaching hospital in the central province of Sri Lanka and its association with oral mucosal lesions; a cross sectional study

Sumali Sumithrarachchi et al. J Oral Biol Craniofac Res. 2024 Jan-Feb.

Erratum in

Abstract

Introduction: Tobacco and areca-nut are risk factors for oral cancer and potentially malignant disorders. Oral cancer is ranked as the commonest among males in Sri Lanka (18.4 %). This research aims to determine the prevalence of tobacco and areca-nut use and its association with oral lesions.

Method: It is a cross-sectional study using 368 patients attending the Dental Diagnostic Clinic. Details of tobacco and areca-nut use were collected and participants were examined for mucosal lesions.

Results: It revealed that 23.9 % had tobacco use. Out of these, 41.1 %, 22.2 % and 36.7 % had smokeless-tobacco use, smoking and both, respectively. Similarly, 25.3 % had areca-nut/betel-quid use and majority (72.8 %) added tobacco to it. Tobacco (93.2 %) and areca-nut (79.6 %) use was higher among males (p < 0.05). Significant associations of areca-nut use with age (p = 0.001) and education level (p = 0.025) were noted. Oral lesions like de-pigmentation, white patches, ulcers, growths and oral sub-mucous fibrosis (OSF) had prevalences of 2.4 % each. Prevalence of pigmentation, lobulated tongue and erosive lesions was 10.6 %, 4.6 % and 1.4 %, respectively. 32.6 % had abnormalities like linea-alba, periodontal problems, pericoronitis and hairy tongue. The study revealed that >90 % of those who used tobacco and areca-nut had oral lesions (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: The prevalence of tobacco and areca-nut use is high among patients attending the Dental Teaching Hospital, and its association with mucosal lesions is significant. Hence regular awareness programs on the adverse effects of tobacco and areca-nut use should be carried out at the Diagnostic clinic as a preventive measure.

Keywords: Areca-nut; Central province of Sri Lanka; Dental hospital; Oral mucosal lesions; Tobacco.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Image 1
Graphical abstract
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Prevalence of oral mucosal lesions.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Clinical images of a few oral mucosal lesions identified at the diagnostic clinic. (A- Exophytic growth on retromandibular region extending towards buccal sulcus and erosive red lesion on buccal mucosa, B- A distinct white patch with an erosive red lesion on commissure, C- Erosive red patch on commissure, D- Depigmentation of oral mucosa and depapillation of the tongue).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Zain R.B., Ikeda N., Gupta P.C., et al. Oral mucosal lesions associated with betel quid, areca nut and tobacco chewing habits: consensus from a workshop held in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia, November 25-27, 1996. J Oral Pathol Med. 1999;28:1–4. - PubMed
    1. Sinha D., Galapatti K., Rinchen S., et al. Smokeless tobacco use in Sri Lanka. Indian J Cancer. 2012;49(4):357. doi: 10.4103/0019-509x.107729. - DOI - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization . 2019. WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic.https://www.who.int/tobacco/global_report/en//
    1. Gupta P.C., Warnakulasuriya S. Global epidemiology of areca nut usage. Addiction Biol. 2002;7(1):77–83. doi: 10.1080/13556210020091437. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Warnakulasuriya S., Peters T. Introduction: biology, medical and socio-economic aspects of areca nut use. Addiction Biol. 2002;7(1):75–76.