PREVALENCE AND CLINICAL OUTCOMES OF ORAL LESIONS IN NEWBORNS: A RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OVER THREE YEARS IN POPULATION OF KATHUA

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and clinical outcome of lesions of the oral mucosa from birth to two and half years of age in pediatric patients in a span of three years in district  kathua  .

Materials and Methods: A total of 299 patients including  infants from newborn to two and half years of age were evaluated from the Outpatient department of dental surgery GMC kathua in a span of three years from January 2022 to january 2025.The mucosal lesions were regularly documented. The data were presented as percentages and for categorical comparisons Chi-square or Fishers Exact test were used. A P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: Of the 299 infants, mucosal lesions were seen in only 63 (21.27%). In the study, the most common lesions were candidiasis (9.6 %), Ebstein’s pearls (6.3%), and geographic tongue (3.01%) Bohns nodule(2%). The frequency of children with mucosal alterations was higher in the group of children from two to twelve months.

Conclusions: Although the lesions that were found the most in our study were benign lesions, unrelated to systemic diseases, we still believe that oral mucosal lesions can be a sign of a systemic or dermatological disease in infants, which affects the oral feeding of the infants. Routine examination of the oral mucosa should be a part of the pediatric examination.