Assessment of the Prevalence and Related Factors of Oral Mucosal Pigmentation in Patients Referring to Dental School and Salamat Clinic of Qom

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Since the pathology of pigmented lesions varies from benign to malignant, the availability of data on the prevalence and clinical features and factors associated with pigmented oral lesions can assist dentists in the diagnosis. Nevertheless, no study has been conducted on oral mucosal pigmentation in Qom; therefore, the present study was performed to investigate the prevalence and factors associated with oral mucosal pigmentation. Methods: This study was performed on 2000 patients referring to Qom Dental School and Salamat Clinic. All subjects were evaluated for the presence or absence of pigmented lesions, and information form, including demographic characteristics, clinical features of the pigmented lesion, and medical history were completed. Afterward, the data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 20) and Chi-squared and independent t-tests. Results: In total, 496 (24.8%) patients had oral pigmentation which was mostly caused by physiological pigmentation (46.4%), followed by inflammatory pigmentation (28.2%), smoker melanosis (11.1%), amalgam tattoo (2%), drug melanosis (1.8%), systemic disease pigmentation (1%), and pregnancy (0.4%). There was a statistically significant relationship between smoking and drug use with oral pigmentation (P<0.05). Conclusion: The frequency of pigmented lesions in this study was estimated to be 24.8%. The prevalence of diffuse pigmentation was higher than focal pigmentation and the prevalence of macular pigmented lesions was higher than nodular pigmented lesions. Moreover, the most common site of pigmentation was the gingiva, especially in the area of the attached gingiva.

Keywords

• mouth mucosa
• pigmentation
• prevalence.