title: A study to evaluate the frequency and association of various mucosal conditions among geriatric patients.
abstract: Geriatric dentistry or gerodontics is the delivery of dental care to older adults involving the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of problems associated with normal aging and age-related diseases as part of an interdisciplinary team with other health care professionals.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the oral mucosal status in the elderly population of different age group and fnd out the association of age, gender and denture with oral mucosal disorders.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study sample consisted of 570 geriatric persons concentrating mainly on the oral mucosal changes or lesions occurring in the geriatric population. Individuals those are aged above 60 years were selected, and all the examined geriatric persons were categorized into 3 age groups to fnd out the association of oral mucosal lesions in each group. Group I-60 to 65 years, Group II-66 to 70 years, Group III-71 and above years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sample of 570 elderly patients included 279 (48.95%) men and 291 (51.05%) women in three age groups: 61 to 65 years (40.35%), 66 to 70 years (31.05%), and 71 years and older (28.60%). The sample included 254 (44.56%) dentate patients, 205 (35.96%) denture wearers (partial and complete denture wearers) and 111 (19.47%) edentulous persons who lacked dentures in both the jaws. Almost half of the patients examined (48%) had one or more oral mucosal lesions. The 48% of the patients who presented with oral mucosal lesions, twenty fve different oral mucosal conditions were identifed and the three most common fndings were lingual varices (13.68%), denture induced infammatory fbrous hyperplasia (4.21%), squamous cell carcinoma (4.21%). There was some differences in the distribution of oral mucosal condition among the sexes. Leukoplakia and dysplasia were signifcantly associated with men (p < 0.001) whereas the association of fbroma and lichen planus with women were signifcant (p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our study it was found that patients in groups II and III had more prevalence of oral mucosal disorders. Lingual varices, oral squamous cell carcinoma, fbroma and denture induced infammatory fbrous hyperplasia were more commonly associated with the geriatric patients. The oral lesions (fbroma and lichen planus) were strongly associated with women while leukoplakia was strongly associated with men. Ageing is an important factor that can infuence the occurrence of mucosal lesions and with age the oral mucosa becomes more permeable to noxious substances and more vulnerable to external carcinogens.
authors.affiliation: Professor, Department of Prosthodontics, College of Medical Sciences and Teaching Hospital, Bharatpur-10, Chitwan, Nepal.
authors.forename: Rgk
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shet
authors.affiliation: Senior Lecturer, Department of Oral Pathology, The Oxford Dental College and Hospital, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India e-mail: drshobithshetty@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Shobith R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Shetty
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Government Dental College and Hospital Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Kalavathi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: M
authors.affiliation: Readear, Department of Oral Pathology, Kamineni Institute of Dental Sciences, Narketpally, Nalgonda, Andhra Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: M Naveen
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Senior Lecturer, Department of Conservative Dentistry, Eklavya Dental College and Hospital, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
authors.forename: Rishi Dev
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Yadav
authors.affiliation: Senior Lecturer, Department of Prosthodontics, JSS Dental College and Hospital, Mysore, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Soumya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: S
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000453:epidemiology; D003817:Dentition; D003824:Denture, Complete / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003829:Denture, Partial / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005350:Fibroma / Q000453:epidemiology; D005355:Fibrosis; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D006965:Hyperplasia; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007972:Leukoplakia, Oral / Q000453:epidemiology; D017676:Lichen Planus, Oral / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D009066:Mouth, Edentulous / Q000453:epidemiology; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000453:epidemiology; D012737:Sex Factors; D013282:Stomatitis, Denture / Q000453:epidemiology; D014059:Tongue / Q000098:blood supply; D014648:Varicose Veins / Q000453:epidemiology