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The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of tongue lesions in a district population, in Budapest, called regularly for X-ray lung examinations. Oral examinations of 7820 individuals were performed, 42% were over 60 yr of age, 42.9% were men and 57.1% women. Tongue alterations were found in 18.52% of the examined individuals, more frequently in women than in men. Lingua fissurata has been diagnosed in 8.8%, geographic tongue in 3.0% of the examined subjects. Atrophic lesions of the tongue were found in 6.37%, among them 5.42% central papillary atrophy (median rhomboid glossitis): 0.35% of the total sample. Manifest clinical symptoms of oral Candidiasis were found in 2.15% of the total sample, and in 4.28% of patients with tongue lesions. The occurrence of oral leukoplakia and lichen in patients with tongue lesions was respectively 0.47 and 0.07%. The prevalence of tongue alterations was consistent with the literary data, the oral screening attached to the X-ray lung examinations proved to be useful in detecting changes of the oral mucosa.

The occurrence of oral leukoplakia and lichen planus in 1600 patients with diabetes mellitus (815 type 1: insulin-dependent, 761 type 2: non-insulin-dependent)-under care at the International Medicine Department-was studied. Precancerous lesions and conditions were diagnosed and grouped according to internationally accepted criteria. The prevalence of oral leukoplakia in diabetic patients was 6.2%, as compared to 2.2% in the healthy controls, that of oral lichen was 1.0% in the test-, and 0.0% in the control group. Leukoplakia and lichen both showed the highest occurrence in the second year of established diabetes, and their prevalence was higher among insulin-treated diabetics. Smokers were more often affected, by both kind of lesions, oral lichen showed a more frequent association with candidiasis. The prevalence of oral leukoplakia and lichen in diabetes mellitus patients was higher, than average ratios in population samples from the same country.