International Healthcare Research Journal 2019;3(4):154-158. INTRODUCTION A major challenge and a Public Health Burden across the globe, the ill- effect of tobacco consumption has been ever plaguing all societies across the globe. In India itself, it is estimated that approximately 275 million adults consume some form of tobacco products. 1 This huge number accounts for approximately one fifth of the world’s total population and the alarming picture oral pre-cancerous lesions are being seen in the younger generation. 2,3 Researchers, from time and gain have been highlighting the fact that tobacco and alcohol consumption are evident risk factors for oral cancer and hence, there is a need to create awareness among these people. 3,4 While people are aware of the medical effects of consuming such products, a person places little or no emphasis on his/her oral health due to variety of factors (financial constraint, lesser knowledge regarding oral health, limited resources, etc.) and is at risk of developing various Oral Mucosal Lesions (OML). 5 Various processed forms of tobacco are available commercially at a very low cost (especially smokeless tobacco) and this increases it reach especially among the younger generation. As per a report of the World Bank, nearly 82,000–99,000 children and adolescents across the globe begin smoking every day and this significantly increases the risk of the presence of OMLs among them. 6 Among adults, the prevalence of tobacco users is reported as 28.6%. 7 Since the use of tobacco in India is reaching pandemic levels, it is important that this vulnerable population be regularly screened for any potential OML and be educated regarding its ill effects. Therefore, this study aimed to document the prevalence of OMLs among A Retrospective Analysis of the Prevalence of Distribution of Oral Mucosal Lesions (OMLs) among the People of Delhi NCR …………………………………………………………………………… ORIGINAL RESEARCH A B S T R A C T SIMRAN KAUR *1 , ASEEM SINGH 2 , RAHUL SINGH 3 QR CODE INTRODUCTION: The presence of Oral Mucosal Lesions (OMLs) in one’s oral mucosa can lead to unwanted consequences and mostly are due to tobacco use. AIM: To document the prevalence of OMLs among patients of Delhi NCR and provide health education counselling to those under the grip of this evil practice. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the data of a total of 402 subjects visiting various screening camps in Delhi NCR and recalled a total of 174 patients, out of which 161 reported back to us for further diagnosis and screening of OMLs. The examination of patients in the camp were an ADA type III examination. All patients we given a health education while tobacco users were also given a specialized one-on-one health education regarding the tobacco and its ill effects as well as techniques for cessation. A descriptive analysis of the sample was first performed using means (±standard deviation (SD)) for continuous variables and frequencies (proportions) for categorical variables. The chi-square test was used for statistical analysis and to find significant difference, if any. RESULTS: Among the 402 subjects screened, the mean age was 33.24±6.74 Years and most of the study population belonged to the age group of 25-60 Years [178(44.3%)]. 301(74.8%) of the study population were males. The main chief complaint was periodontal problem [187(46.5%)], while 15 patients (3.73%) came for regular check-up. The prevalence of leukoplakia was found to be 8.70% and OSMF was found to be 6.21%. A significant difference was seen among gingivitis with respect to age and gender (p<.05), leukoplakia and frictional keratosis was seen significant in relation to gender. In all significant cases, Males were more prone to get these OMLs as compared to females CONCLUSION: It is advised that regular Oral Health Drives and counselling sessions be arranged for the people of Delhi NCR to reduce the burden of the OMLs. KEYWORDS: Oral, Lesion, Mucosal, Leukoplakia ISSN: 2456-8090 (online) DOI: https://doi.org/10.26440/IHRJ/0304.07258 © Simran Kaur et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC-BY-NC 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the use is not commercial and the original author(s) and source are cited. 154