CLINICAL OCCURRENCE OF ORAL POTENTIALLY MALIGNANT DISORDERS IN HEPATITIS C POSITIVE PATIENTS

Abstract

Background: Hepatitis C is spreading in Pakistan with alarming increase in number. It can cause hepatocellular carcinoma and according to different studies it has some relation with oral potentially malignant disorders and oral cancer. In Pakistan oral potentially malignant disorders also increasing in number. Materials and methods: It was observational cross-sectional study. Duration of the study was six months. 100 patients with hepatitis C positive patients were included in study group. 100 patients had no HCV infection were included in healthy control group. Oral examination was done clinically to check presence and type of oral potentially malignant disorders in both groups. Results: only four patients had oral potentially malignant disorders in non-HCV control group. Twelve patients had oral potentially malignant disorders in HCV positive study group. Six percent of patients had oral lichen planus, three percent of patients had erythroplakia and two percent of patients had leukoplakia and only one percent of patients had oral submucous fibrosis. Conclusion: oral potentially malignant disorders are more in hepatitis C patients. Early diagnosis of these disorders prevents their conversion into squamous cell carcinoma in hepatitis C infection.