title: Prevalence of oral mucosal lesions in institutionalized elderly people in Mashhad, Northeast Iran.
abstract: 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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors.affiliation: Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases Research Center, Faculty of Dentistry, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Pegah M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Mozafari
authors.forename: Zohreh
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Dalirsani
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Delavarian
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amirchaghmaghi
authors.forename: Mohammad T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Shakeri
authors.forename: Abdollah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Esfandyari
authors.forename: Farnaz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Falaki
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D057189:Checklist; D003704:Dementia / Q000453:epidemiology; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005882:Gingival Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D005928:Glossitis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006707:Homes for the Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology; D007326:Institutionalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015995:Prevalence; D012737:Sex Factors; D012923:Social Class; D013282:Stomatitis, Denture / Q000453:epidemiology; D014059:Tongue / Q000098:blood supply; D014063:Tongue, Fissured / Q000453:epidemiology; D014648:Varicose Veins / Q000453:epidemiology; D014987:Xerostomia / Q000453:epidemiology