The Prevalence of Oral Mucosa Lesions in Pediatric Patients

Abstract

The prevalence of oral mucosa lesions (OMLs) among children varies from 4.1% up to 69.5%. There is a lack of sufficient epidemiological data and adequate knowledge about OMLs in relation to minors’ gender and age. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of OMLs in children, patients of the oral pathology clinic in south-western parts of Poland, and to investigate the potential correlation between the occurrence of particular types of OMLs and the gender and age. A retrospective study was performed using a total of 2474 clinical charts from 2015 to 2019. Data collected included age, gender, and OMLs’ type. The prevalence of OMLs in minors was 5.21%. Aphthae was the most frequent diagnosis. Boys were more commonly affected, and traumatic erosion and ulcers were significantly more often detected in males. The mean age of children was 8 y/o, preschoolers were significantly more often diagnosed with geographic tongue, while Morsicatio buccarum was significantly more common in school children and adolescents. Clinicians should be familiar with OMLs prevalence and with its specific frequency in connection to age and gender of children. Furthermore, they should be aware of the diversity of OMLs found in the oral cavity of children and that their frequency in the pediatric population is different from that in adults.