Occupational Exposure to Domestic Waste and Oral Mucosal Lesions: a Cross-Sectional Study.

This study aimed to evaluate the occurrence of oral mucosal lesions (OML) in domestic waste collectors and their association with occupational exposure to domestic waste. This cross-sectional study included 295 adult men who worked in a waste management company: 129 men were exposed to domestic waste during their labor of waste collection, and 166 were not. The waste collectors used personal protective equipment. The lips, buccal mucosa and sulcus, gum, alveolar ridge, tongue, the floor of the mouth, and soft and hard palate were evaluated. The chisquare or Fisher's exact test assessed the variables associated with OML (P = 0.05). Twenty-five OMLs were observed in 22 volunteers, 8 in the exposed and 17 in the non-exposed group. Actinic cheilitis in the lips and candidiasis were the most common lesions in both groups. OML was not associated with waste exposure (OR= 0.72, 95% CI = 0.29-1.77, P = 0.47). There was no association between domestic waste exposure and actinic cheilitis (OR = 0.70, 95% CI= 0.23-2.15, P = 0.37), candidiasis (OR = 0.42, 95% CI= 0.08-2.12, P = 0.24) or leukoplakia (OR = 0.99, 95% CI= 0.97-1.01, P = 0.32). Actinic cheilitis in the lips and candidiasis were the most common lesions in both exposed and non-exposed groups. Occupational exposure to domestic waste was not related to OML. Proper use of personal protective equipment may have prevented the development of OML in domestic waste collectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]