Oral Lesions found in a Dental School in Southern Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to perform an epidemiological survey of the cases of oral lesions diagnosed in a Brazilian dental school. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An epidemiological survey was carried out at the Faculty of Dentistry of the University of Passo Fundo (FOUPF), Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, between March 2015 and June 2017, characterizing the patients in terms of gender, age, and ethnicity. A total of 3,200 records were evaluated, from which 716 presented information on oral lesions diagnosed and treated at the clinics of the FOUPF. The data were evaluated by descriptive statistics of frequency. RESULTS: The most frequent change was the coated tongue (13.83%). The majority of the patients were female (56%), white (31.57%), in the sixth decade of life (21.65%). Regarding the classification of lesions, the most frequent group was developmental changes (25%). CONCLUSION: It is considered that the sample studied presented a significant index of oral lesions and normality changes, considering that 716 (22.38%) patients studied showed some type of change in the oral cavity. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The sample studied presents peculiar characteristics regarding the number of oral lesions/conditions diagnosed. It is also considered that Schools of Dentistry are valuable environments for carrying out epidemiological surveys in stomatology, providing the diagnostic exercise, as long as the students are stimulated for this purpose.