Abstract Objective: To identify the most prevalent oral lesions based on reports from a pathology institute’s reports and associations between malignant and oral potentially malignant disorders with patient’s demographic variables and the anatomical location. Material and Methods: All 1,298 histopathological reports of oral lesions recorded in the database were reviewed. Demographic variables, anatomical location of the lesion, histopathological diagnosis of the lesions, and their biological behavior were analyzed. Results: Regarding the biological behavior of the identified lesions, benign lesions were predominant (70%), followed by lesions of undetermined behavior (14.3%), malignant lesions (14.2%), absence of histological alteration (1.2%), and finally, oral potentially malignant disorders (0.5%). The anatomical locations of the most prevalent oral lesions potentially malignant disorders and malignant were in the following structures of the oral cavity: gums, buccal mucosa, floor of the mouth and hard palate (p=49.2%), and tongue (p=48.7%). Conclusion: The probability of malignant and premalignant lesions was higher among males (PR= 4.21; 95% CI 2.08-6.22), the increase in age (PR = 1.06; 95% CI 1.05-1.08), and in the tongue region (PR = 5.48; 95% CI 1.67; 17.92). Identification of malignant and potentially malignant oral conditions is higher in older men and in tongue specimens.

Aim To evaluate the impact of xerostomia, edentulism, use of dental prosthesis, and presence of chronic diseases on quality of life in relation to oral health in institutionalized elderly individuals. Methods This is a cross-sectional study. A questionnaire was administered containing the following instruments: Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14), which measures the quality of life related to oral health; the Summated Xerostomia Inventory questionnaire (SXI-PL) for evaluation of xerostomia, sociodemographic data, clinical description, and patient-reported factors was assessed (edentulism, use of dental prostheses, and chronic diseases). Results Most elderly individuals did not have any teeth in their mouths and used dental prosthesis. The impact on quality of life, considering the mean of the OHIP-14 scores, was positive in 58.3% of the elderly. Those who used a dental prosthesis were three times more likely to have their oral health negatively impacted (OR=3.09; 95%CI =1.17 8.11), compared to those who did not use, and individuals with xerostomia were more likely to have their oral health negatively impacted (OR=1.57; 95%CI=1.25-1.98) compared to those without xerostomia. There was no difference in the quality of life of individuals with and without chronic diseases. Conclusions The feeling of dry mouth and use of dental prostheses negatively impacted the quality of life in relation to oral health of the elderly.