title: Prevalence and factors associated with oral potentially malignant disorders in Brazil's rural workers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) in a population of rural workers in the northeast of Brazil and to investigate the association with sociodemographic, occupational, and health factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 1385 workers answered a validated questionnaire and were examined by calibrated dentists. A descriptive analysis, chi-square homogeneity test, and binary logistic regression were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of OPMDs was 29.6%. Actinic cheilitis was the most predominant (28.4%), followed by leukoplakia (2.3%) and erythroplakia (0.3%). Gender, type of skin, and time exposed to the sun explained the presence of OPMD (P < 0.0001). The study found increased prevalence, especially for males over the age of 60 years and being exposed to the sun for more than 45 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Rural workers showed high vulnerability to the presence of OPMDs, as estimated prevalence exhibited was high.
authors.affiliation: Sciences Health Post-Graduate Program, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.affiliation: Dentistry Department, State's University of Rio Grande do Norte, Caicó, RN, Brazil.
authors.forename: E E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: de Souza Lucena
authors.affiliation: Health Collective Post-Graduate Program, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil.
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Oral Pathology Post-Graduate Program, Dentistry Department, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil.
authors.forename: Éjd
authors.initials: É
authors.lastname: da Silveira
authors.affiliation: Oral Pathology Post-Graduate Program, Dentistry Department, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil.
authors.forename: P T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Health Collective Post-Graduate Program, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil.
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: de Lima
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002613:Cheilitis / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004919:Erythroplasia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007972:Leukoplakia, Oral / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012424:Rural Population
keywords: cross-sectional study; occupational exposure; oral medicine; oral premalignancies; prevalence; rural population