Prevalence and risk factors of oral premalignant lesions through visual screening among security personnel working at a tertiary care hospital: A descriptive cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT Background: Oral cancer is often preceded by oral premalignant lesions. However, most patients present at advanced stages, leading to poor quality of life (QOL). Objectives: The primary objective was to assess risk factors and prevalence of oral cancer among security personnel. The secondary objective focused on studying the relationship of selected risk factors with oral cancer and correlating them with prevalence. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from June - November 2019 on 255 security personnel at AIIMS, New Delhi. Risk exposure was assessed using the WHO STEPwise Approach to Surveillance (STEPS) instrument. Visual examinations were performed using a light source and tongue depressor. Data analysis included descriptive and inferential statistics to determine frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations. Chi-square, Fisher’s exact tests, and logistic regression were used to assess associations and risks, with significance set at P ≤ 0.05. Results: We included 255 participants in the study. The overall prevalence of premalignant lesions was 29% ( n = 74). Among subjects, 15.7% ( n = 40) were smokers, and 33.3% ( n = 85) used smokeless tobacco. Significant associations were observed for smoking ( P , 0.002), smokeless tobacco use ( P < 0.001), frequency of smokeless tobacco use ( P , 0.041), alcohol and smokeless tobacco combination ( P < 0.001), and dental visit frequency ( P , 0.023). Binary logistic regression showed smokeless tobacco (Odds ratio, OR, 25.96, P < 0.001) and smoking (OR, 2.98, P , 0.020) as significant risk factors. Conclusion: Visual screening is a simple and cost-effective method for early detection of oral cancer. Visual screening along with tobacco cessation can help reduce the incidence of oral cancer and improve outcomes.