Histopathological Findings of Oral and Maxillofacial Biopsies from a Sample of Yemeni Patients

Abstract

Epidemiologic studies of Oral and Maxillofacial lesions (OMLs) are rare compared with that related to caries and periodontal diseases, they are fundamental to promote early diagnosis and provide appropriate preventive oral health programs. This study was to investigate the prevalence and types of histologically confirmed OMLs in Sana�a, the capital of Yemen. Documented records of all patients with OMLs were retrieved from the main histopathology laboratories that provides biopsy analysis in Sana'a city during the period from 2013 to 2018. This multicenter retrospective study was conducted on 1376 oral and maxillofacial biopsied lesions. Regarding malignant lesions; the most prevalent lesions among males and females was Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC); (226; 38.8.0% and 214; 30.9%; respectively). Most of the OSCC cases (43.8%) were older than 40 years old, at this age group the second most prevalent lesions were Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and Basal cell carcinoma (1.4% and 1.2%; respectively). The results of the regression analysis shows that the site of the lesion (OR; 0.6, CI; 0.51-0.81; P= 0.00) and age of the patient (OR; 4.17, CI; 5.22-5.41; P=0.00) were the independent factors of malignancy of oral lesions. The present study showed high prevalence of malignant and premalignant oral mucosal lesions. The data from this study highlight the need for dental public health intervention programs for early detection of oral cancer among Yemeni population by dental practitioners. As well as the importance of education of the general population in regards to risk factors of OMLs.