Prevalence of lesions and alterations of the oral cavity in the Costa Rican population

Introduction: To evaluate the prevalence and characteristics of diseases of the oral cavity in the Costa Rican population, including the clinical profile of affected patients. Methodology: A cross-sectional, descriptive, and quantitative study was conducted using medical records from patients diagnosed and treated at a Stomatology Center in Heredia, Costa Rica, between January 2020 and December 2022. Only cases with definitive diagnoses (clinical, histopathological, or radiographic) were included. Data were extracted from complete records, categorized by lesion type and anatomical location, and analyzed by sex and age group to identify frequency patterns. Results: A total of 1,410 patients were evaluated. The majority were women (62%) with 33.4% of cases in the 41–60 age group. Regarding men, the most affected group was 21–40 years. Traumatic lesions were the most frequent (33%), followed by benign neoplasms (11.1%) and potentially malignant disorders (10%). Fibrous hyperplasia was the most frequent lesion (n101), followed by squamous papilloma (n87), leukoplakia (n66) and squamous cell carcinoma (n55). Soft tissues were the most affected (80.5%), with the tongue being the most common site (23.4%), followed by the gingiva (21.5%) and the lips (13.7%). Conclusions: This study systematically classified and quantified oral lesions in a defined clinical population, generating the most comprehensive epidemiological dataset of its kind in Costa Rica. The findings offer extrapolatable data for academic research, clinical training, and public health policy, helping to improve early diagnosis, prevention strategies, and the management of oral conditions, especially those with malignant potential, across diverse sectors of the population.