Oral tumors and tumor-like lesions in Yemeni Elderly attending Outpatient Dental Clinic: A Preliminary Assessment

Introduction: Older persons are at risk of chronic diseases of the mouth, including dental infections (e.g., caries, periodontitis), tooth loss, benign tumors, and oral cancer. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions, with particular emphasis on the incidence of benign tumors and tumor-like lesions, among Yemeni elderly attending out-patients dental clinic, Sana'a University. Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 101 elderly aged 60 years and above who attended outpatient dental clinic, Sana'a university, Yemen. The participants were interviewed individually for socioeconomic status, behavioral information, oral risk habits, oral hygiene practices, systemic health, and history and current use of medications. Detailed oral examination of the oral cavity was performed by a single examiner based on international criteria and WHO codes. Results: The mean age for the study population was 64.89 years. Khat chewing was the most common habit (54.5%) followed by cigarette smoking (23.8%). The study showed that 67.3% of the elderly had one or more oral lesion. The most common lesions were fissured tongue (38.6%), tumor and tumor-like lesions (20.8%) and Khat-associated white lesion (5.9%). The frequency of tumor and tumor-like lesions was significantly higher among smokers (45.8%) than none and/or Ex smokers (p0.01). Likewise, the frequency of oral tumors was also higher in males than females and among Khat-chewers than none chewers, but this was not statistically significant. Conclusions: Findings suggest that the occurrence of oral tumors among Yemeni elderly is alarmingly high. Also, there was is an association between occurrence of oral lesions and practicing oral habits. Keywords: Oral lesions, Oral tumors, oral habits, elderly