Prevalence of recurrent aphthous stomatitis, oral submucosal fibrosis and oral leukoplakia in doctor/nurse and police officer population

BACKGROUND: The doctor/nurse and police officer population have some common typical characteristics of great professional pressure and night shift and past studies indicated oral mucosa lesions were closely associated with psychological factors and health-risking behaviors, however the prevalence of recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) and the two commonly seen oral potentially malignant disorders of oral submucosal fibrosis (OSF) and oral leukoplakia in doctor/nurse and police officer in the Betel quid chewing city of Mainland China is unknown The cross-sectional study was to determine the prevalence differences of RAS, oral leukoplakia and OSF among doctor/nurse, police officer and non-doctor/nurse and non-police officer population aged 20–59 years. METHODS: RAS, OSF and oral leukoplakia were examined in doctor/nurse group (male: 659, female: 2439), police officer group (male: 839, female: 262) and non-doctor/nurse and non-police officer group (male: 7576, female: 8129) from 2020-11-01 to 2021-08-31 in Health Management Center, Xiangya Hospital in Changsha city, Hunan province. RESULTS: The prevalence rates of RAS, OSF, oral leukoplakia and oral leukoplakia combined with OSF in male and female non-doctor/nurse and non-police officer group are 8.32‰ and 10.83‰, 58.08‰ and 1.23‰, 11.75‰ and 0.25‰, 7.66‰ and 0.12‰ respectively. Compared with the non-doctor/nurse and non-police officer population, prevalence rates of RAS in male (24.27‰) and female (20.50‰) doctor/nurse population were significantly higher. Prevalence rates of OSF (21.24‰) and oral leukoplakia (3.03‰) in male doctor/nurse population were significantly less but prevalence rates of OSF (93.71‰), oral leukoplakia (20.17‰) and oral leukoplakia combined with OSF (15.42‰) for male police officer were significantly greater in comparison with male non-doctor/nurse and non-police officer group. OSF and oral leukoplakia prevalence rates were obvious lower for the female than the counterpart male group, but there were no significant differences of OSF and oral leukoplakia prevalence rates between the female non-doctor/nurse and non-police officer and female doctor/nurse group. Oral leukoplakia was not found in the female police officers. CONCLUSIONS: Doctor/nurse population have higher prevalence of RAS. Male doctors/nurses have lower prevalence of OSF and oral leukoplakia, while male police officers have higher prevalence of OSF, oral leukoplakia and oral leukoplakia combined with OSF.