Title: Prevalence of tobacco use and oral precancerous lesions among the public transportation workers and employees in western Maharashtra (India): A cross-sectional analytical study
Abstract:
Tobacco use is one of the most critical risk factors for different oral diseases. The contributing factors such as socioeconomical aspect, illiteracy, poverty, work stress are the constant physical and psychological due to changing shift, prolonged working hours and lack of knowledge about hazards of tobacco .
The city of Western part of Maharashtra, Pune, India where transport workers like bus conductors and bus drivers who work for prolonged hours and constitute an essential part of urban informal sector, where health is undervalued.
The aim of this Cross-Sectional Analytical Study assessing the oral health status and tobacco related habits - type of tobacco, duration, frequency and oral lesions in bus conductors and bus drivers in a city of Maharashtra, Pune;in a selected group of Public transport workers )
Out of total 1000 study participants, 28% had Leukoplakia whereas 0.8% had OSMF (Oral Sub mucous Fibrosis). This difference was statistically significant (p<0.05)
Oral mucosal lesions could be due to infection (bacterial, viral, fungal), local trauma and or irritation (traumatic keratoses, fibroma, burns), systemic disease (metabolic or immunological), or related to lifestyle factors such as the usage of tobacco, areca nut, betel quid, or alcohol. The current study highlighted the oral health status and tobacco habits its adverse effects on the people of this specific population
Keywords- Tobacco, Public Transport workers, Oral mucosal lesions and conditions, Systemic random sampling.
Audience take away notes:
- Knowledge of Tobacco and its critical long-term side effects
- Prevalence of Oral mucosal conditions
- Study can help implement Government organization or NGO, for implementing new projects.
- Update knowledge of Practicing Dentist and create Awareness about oral lesions and various factors associated with tobacco, its duration , frequency, type of tobacco , practicing dentist.
