Clinicopathologic aspects of oral leukoplakia in smokers and nonsmokers.
OBJECTIVE
The present study assessed possible clinicopathologic differences between oral leukoplakia in current smokers and never-smokers.


METHODS
Retrospective study of 52 patients with oral leukoplakia. Clinical and pathologic data (age, sex, lesion size, lesion location, and presence/absence of dysplasia) were compared between 41 current-smoking patients and 11 never-smoking patients.


RESULTS
The mean age of the smoking patients was 49 yrs, significantly lower than the never-smoking patients (59 yrs) (P < .05). The proportion of women was markedly and significantly higher in the never-smoker group than in the smoker group (82% vs. 22%). The odds ratio for lesions on the tongue (0.80, 95% CI 0.01-0.37) was statistically significant at the 5% level (i.e., 95% CI). Dysplastic lesions were observed most frequently in the never-smoking patients, and this difference was statistically significant (P = .026).


CONCLUSIONS
The results of the present study indicate that nonsmoking-related oral leukoplakia lesions are more frequent among women than among men, are more likely to be located on the tongue than smoking-related lesions, and show epithelial dysplasia more frequently than smoking-related lesions.
Freitas
Marcio Diniz
MD
Department of Oral Surgery and Oral Medicine, School of Dentistry, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain. cidinizm@usc.es
Blanco-Carrión
Andrés
A
Gándara-Vila
Pilar
P
Antúnez-López
José
J
García-García
Abel
A
Gándara Rey
José Manuel
JM
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007972:Leukoplakia, Oral / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009060:Mouth Floor / Q000473:pathology; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000473:pathology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000473:pathology*; D014059:Tongue / Q000473:pathology; D014060:Tongue Diseases / Q000473:pathology*