Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders among Patients Attending the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology of a Tertiary Care Dental Hospital: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Despite oral cancer being a common cancer in Nepal, little is known about oral potentially malignant disorders which have a high likelihood of malignant transformation. This study aims to find out the prevalence of oral potentially malignant disorders among patients attending the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology of a tertiary care dental hospital. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among 611 patients from 14th January, 2021 to 15th July, 2021 at the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology of a tertiary care centre after receiving ethical clearance from the Institutional Review Committee (Reference number: 2306202002). Convenience sampling was done. Patients aged 18 years and above were enrolled into the study. Follow-up cases and patients requiring emergency treatment were, however, excluded. All demographic data, cancer and dietary history and clinical examinations were recorded. Descriptive analysis was done using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 22.0. Point estimate was done at a 95% Confidence Interval for frequency and percentages for binary data. Results: Among 611 total participants, the prevalence of oral potentially malignant disorders was found to be 26 (4.25%) (2.65-5.85 at a 95% Confidence Interval), where males were 19 (73.07%), females were 7 (26.92%), and 23 (88.46%) of them had history of consuming various forms of tobacco, areca nut, and alcohol. Conclusions: The prevalence of oral potentially malignant disorders in this hospital-based study was found to be lower than previous studies conducted in similar settings.