• 3/7/2007
  • Stockholm, Sweden
  • A Roosaar et al.
  • J Oral Pathol Med, February 1, 2007; 36(2): 78-82

Aim:
To assess the natural course of screening-detected oral leukoplakia (OL) among non-consulting individuals.

Methods:
A cohort of 555 individuals with OL, confirmed in 1973-1974 during a population-based survey, were followed through January 2002 via record linkages with nationwide and essentially complete registers. A sample of 104 drawn from the 297 surviving cohort members who still were living in the area in 1993-1995 was invited to a re-examination. Sixty-seven of them attended.

Results:
At the time of re-examination OL had disappeared in 29 (43%) individuals. There was a statistically significant association between cessation of/no smoking habits in 1993-1995 and the disappearance of OL. Never/previous daily smokers were thus over-represented among individuals whose OL had disappeared compared to those with persisting OL [n = 23 (82%) vs. n = 18 (47%), P < 0.01]. Eighteen (78%) of the twenty three non-smokers with disappearing OL had quit after the initial examination. One man and two women developed oral cancer during follow-up while 0.7 and 0.07, respectively, were expected.

Conclusion:
Smoking cessation was associated with an increased disappearance of OL. Hence, at least one-fourth had lesions that could be classified as tobacco-related. Small observed and expected numbers prohibited firm conclusions about a possible excess risk of developing oral cancer.

Authors:
A Roosaar, L Yin, AL Johansson, G Sandborgh-Englund, O Nyren, and T Axell

Authors’ affiliation:
Institute of Odontology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden