Oro-mucosal Lesion and Nicotine Dependency among Adult Tribal Population in Dhar District - A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: The use of tobacco is quite common in India. The consumption of tobacco is higher in the rural population. There is still a paucity of data of tobacco consumption among the tribal population. There are no data available on tobacco consumption pattern and prevalence of Oro-mucosal lesion in the tribal belt of Madhya Pradesh. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 296 participants of the tribal population of Dhar district, M.P. The study subject was selected randomly from 13 blocks. A preformed structured pro forma was used to collect the demographic details and tobacco use. Fagerstrom scale (smoking) and modified Fagerstrom scale (smokeless) were used to determine the nicotine dependency. Type III clinical examination was done to determine the Oro-mucosal lesion. Chi-square Test was to compare the frequency of Oro-mucosal lesion. Result: 88 (48.6%) of the 296 study participants used smokeless tobacco, 66 (36.6%) smoked, and 28 (15.4%) used mixed tobacco. Of these, 181 (61.2%) used tobacco in various forms. Of those who smoked, 32 people (17.9%) had Oro-mucosal lesions. Keratosis was the most common condition, accounting for 20 cases (62.8%), followed by leukoplakia with 5 cases (15.8%). In the present study, 20 participants (11.1%) had very high nicotine dependency, while 132 participants (72.8%) had medium nicotine dependency. Conclusion: Tobacco usage was much greater among tribal populations, with keratosis being the most prevalent Oro-mucosal lesion, followed by leukoplakia.