title: Association between smoking, glycaemia, blood lipoproteins and risk of oral leukoplakia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Among potentially malignant disorders, oral leukoplakia is the most common in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to assess risk factors associated with oral leukoplakia.
  
  
  METHODS
  This retrospective study included 142 patients diagnosed with oral leukoplakia according to World Health Organization clinical and histopathological criteria and a control group of healthy subjects matched for age and gender. Sociodemographic data were registered for each patient: age, gender, smoking and alcohol consumption. Leukoplakia characteristics were also registered: size, position, clinical form, and presence or absence of dysplasia; all cases of leukoplakia were classified systematically according to clinicopathological stage. Blood lipid component levels of total cholesterol, high-density lipoproteins, low-density lipoproteins and triglycerides were compared between groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Smoking had a significant effect on the risk of leukoplakia (P = 0.01, odds ratio (OR) = 8.33). High glucose levels also increased the probability of leukoplakia (P = 0.03, OR = 6.35), as did low-density lipoproteins (P = 0.049, OR = 5.65). The risk of dysplasia increased among patients presenting the non-homogeneous form of leukoplakia (P = 0.039, OR = 9.06) and among smokers (P = 0.044, OR = 28.33).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Smoking, increased glucose and low-density lipoproteins in the blood are associated with a risk of oral leukoplakia.
authors.affiliation: Oral Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Murcia, Spain Murcia Institute of Bio-Health Research (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Granero Fernandez
authors.affiliation: Clínica Odontológica Universitaria Medicina Oral, Hospital Morales Meseguer Adv. Marques de los velez s/n, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lopez-Jornet
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001786:Blood Glucose; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007972:Leukoplakia, Oral / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D008055:Lipids
keywords: blood biochemistry; blood lipid; leukoplakia; potentially malignant disorders; risk factor