Prevalence of oral epithelial dysplasia and oral squamous cell carcinoma in Alexandria University Hospital in Egypt: a ten-year retrospective study

Oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) is a group of long-term oral mucosal disorders associated with a high risk of malignant transformation. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), which represents about 90–95% of oral cancers, can develop from dysplasia in the oral mucosa, which has the potential to be malignant. OSCC still has a poor prognosis because of metastasis and local aggression, even with recent advancements in treatment techniques. To determine the prevalence of OED and OSCC based on histopathological examination at Oral Pathology Department in faculty of Dentistry in Alexandria University, Egypt between 2014 and 2023. From all patients recorded in Oral Pathology department in faculty of Dentistry in Alexandria University, Egypt between 2014 and 2023, histopathologically proven cases of OED and OSCC have been included. The prevalence of OED and OSCC and its change across the last ten years were assessed. The histopathological grade and some demographic and clinical data for those patients were also investigated. During the period from 2014 to 2023, 56 cases of OED and 316 OSCC cases were reported based on histopathological examination in the Oral Pathology Department at Faculty of Dentistry, Alexandria University. Most of the OED cases were mild and moderate (each represented 42.86% of OED cases), while severe OED represented 14.28% of OED cases. The majority of OSCC cases (73.73%) were moderately differentiated. Males were more affected than females representing 62.5% of OED cases and 56% of OSCC. The mean age of OED cases was 49.63 years (range = 30, 79) and mean age of OSCC cases was 54.19 years (range = 13, 84). There was a higher prevalence of OSCC than OED between 2014 and 2023. Both were more prevalent among males and middle age group. The rise in OSCC cases after 2020 emphasize the need for population-based studies and community level approaches for prevention and early diagnosis of OSCC.