OCCURRENCE OF ORAL LEUKOPLAKIA AND LICHEN-PLANUS IN DIABETES-MELLITUS

The occurrence of oral leukoplakia and lichen planus in 1600 patients with diabetes mellitus (815 type 1: insulin-dependent, 761 type 2: non-insulin-dependent) - under care at the International Medicine Department was studied. Precancerous lesions and conditions were diagnosed and grouped according to internationally accepted criteria. The prevalence of oral leukoplakia in diabetic patients was 6.2%, as compared to 2.2% in the healthy controls, that of oral lichen was 1.0% in the test-, and 0.0% in the control group. Leukoplakia and lichen both showed the highest occurrence in the second year of established diabetes, and their prevalence was higher among insulin-treated diabetics. Smokers were more often affected, by both kind of lesions, oral lichen showed a more frequent association with candidiasis. The prevalence of oral leukoplakia and lichen in diabetes mellitus patients was higher, than average ratios in population samples from the same country.