Ambreen Shahzad, Amber Kiyani, Sadia Paiker.
Prevalence of oral anomalies and pathologies in the pakistani population – a cross sectional study.
J Pak Dent Assoc Jan ;27(1):13-7.

INTRODUCTION: Comprehensive head and neck examinations require sound knowledge of the population’s oral anatomy, its variation, and common pathologies to distinguish between anomalous and pathological processes. Since limited data on this subject is available from Pakistan, the aim of this investigation is to determine the prevalence of oral anomalies and pathologies in healthy, Pakistani, dental patients. This will establish baseline statistics for the Pakistani population, and contribute to the international epidemiological data. METHODOLOGY:A total of 1293 consenting, dental patients between the ages of 5-90 years underwent comprehensive head and neck examinations. Any mucosal anomaly or abnormality identified during the exam was recorded. RESULT: At least one anomaly, or abnormality was noted in 61% of the population. The most commonly documented entity was linea alba (29.8%, n=324), followed by benign oral pigmentation (11.3%, n=146), coated tongue (5.7%, n=74), prominent papillae in (5.1%, n=71), fissured tongue (5%, n=65), varicosities (4.8%, n=62), ulcers in (4%, n=52), Fordyce’s granules (2.5%, n=32) and white patches (1.8%, n=23) CONCLUSION:It is essential for dental professionals to be familiarized with the anatomical variations of the oral cavity, oral anomalies and common pathological processes to avoid misdiagnosis and prevent undue distress to the patient.

PakMediNet -Pakistan's largest Database of Pakistani Medical Journals - http://www.pakmedinet.com