Analysis Of Awareness Of Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders And Oral Squamous Cell Carcinomas Reported To A Private Teaching Hospital- A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Background: Oral Squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) can be preceded by clinically obvious oral 
potentially malignant disorders. The significant malignant transformation rates of Oral 
Potentially Malignant Disorders (OPMD) demands early diagnosis and proper management not
only to reduce the symptoms but also to prevent its aggressive outcome. The objective of this 
retrospective study was to quantify the need of patient related awareness in identifying OPMD 
by analyzing the association between the type of referral in OSCC and OPMD cases and also to 
analyze the gender predilection, prevalent age and habits associated with OPMD and OSCC. 
Methods: This retrospective study included a sample size of n = 226 (70-OSCC, 156-OPMD). 
Data regarding the sample cases were selected after the review and analysis of records of about 
86000 patients between June 2019 and march 2020. The retrieved data were tabulated and 
exported to SPSS software for statistical analysis. Result: Analysis showed a statistically 
significant correlation between the type of referral in OSCC and OPMD cases (P < 0.0009). 
Among all cases, the self -referred cases were found to be higher for females (61.8%) when 
compared to males (45.03%) and a statistically significant correlation existed between the gender 
and type of referral (P=0.03). Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to 
analyze the association between type of referral in OSCC and OPMD patients. Quantification of 
awareness on OPMD and interventions at institutional level to improve this will have a 
significant impact on early diagnosis and better prognosis of OPMD patients.