Prevalence of Oral Leukoplakia among Small Scale Factory Workers of Panchkula District, Haryana, India: A Descriptive Study

INTRODUCTION: Leukoplakia is described as a non scrappable whitish lesion and finds its prevalence high in the south Asian continent. AIM: To assess the prevalence of leukoplakia among small scale factory workers of district Panchkula, Haryana, India MATERIALS AND METHODS: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried among 522 small scale factory workers in district Panchkula, Haryana, India. The diagnosis of presence of oral leukoplakia was evaluated and documented by the two examiners, using ADA type III examination and using the WHO standard recording form for oral mucosal diseases with clinical diagnosis based on the criteria as provided by the WHO and modified by Axell. Descriptive statistics were applied to describe the results. RESULTS: The study subjects had male predominance(73.9%). The mean age was reported as 56±5.2, and the prevalence of oral leukoplakia was seen among 7.1% (37) of the total population. Of the 37 people diagnosed, homogeneous leukoplakia was seen in 22 (59.5%)workers, while non-homogeneous leukoplakia was seen among 15 (40.5%) workers with buccal mucosa (18, 48.7%) as the most frequent site for occurrence of leukoplakia. CONCLUSION: Public health education programs are advised among the small scale workers of Panchkula district so as to prevent the high occurrence of leukoplakia and other tobacco related lesions among them.