THE PREVALENCE OF ORAL LYMPHOMA AND ITS RELATION WITH TYPE OF LYMPHOMA, AGE, GENDER AND LOCATION IN PATIENTS REFERRED TO TABRIZ IMAM REZA HOSPITAL

Lymphoma is a malignant neoplasm that affects lymphoreticular system. Since
first signs and symptoms of lymphoma can affect oral and tonsil region determining the prevalence of
oral lymphoma is important for dentists. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of oral
lymphoma and its relation to type of lymphoma, age, gender and location in patients referred to Tabriz
Imam Reza hospital.
Materials & Methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, medical document files of patients
with oral lymphoma referred to Tabriz Imam Reza hospital during a ten years period (2007-2017) were
evaluated. The variables like age, gender, type of the lymphoma and location were recorded in checklists
and evaluated. We have used SPSS (version 17) to analyze data.
Results: In this study, of24000 cases of lymphoma ،55 cases with oral lymphoma were reported. Of 55
cases, 52 cases were Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (94.5%) and 3 cases were Hodgkin lymphoma (5.5%).
Oral lymphoma was more prevalent in males than in females. Thus, the male to female ratio was 2.05.
In the current study, the mean age of patients was 53±16.75 years in males and it was 57.16± 18.51
years in females. Tonsils were the most common site for the occurrence of lymphoma in the oral cavity
(67.3%).Other common sites of involvement were major salivary glands (14.6%), palate (7.3%), base
of the tongue (3.6%), buccal mucosa (3.6%), maxillary sinus (3.6%), and lower alveolar bone (1.8%).
Conclusion: In the current study, diffuse Large B Cell (DLBCL) was the most common type of oral
lymphomas. Oral lymphoma was more common in males and accounted for 8.4% of all lymphomas.
Therefore, complete oral examination and regular dental visits are strongly recommended