Oral and facial lesions of 2 356 workers detected by occupational health examination

Objective To clarify the routine stomatological examination methods and contents in the occupational health surveillance, and to find out the oral and facial lesions in time and take early intervention for workers.

Methods A total of 2 356 persons from 19 enterprises or institutes who participated in occupational physical examination during April to June in 2017 were received stomatological examination. The basic oral examination methods were used to check the tissues or parts of the oral cavity, emphasizing the common oral diseases, oral and facial lesions caused by systemic diseases and specific lesions induced by occupational hazards.

Results Among the 2 356 subjects, 52 people reported oral discomfort, accounting for 2.21%;1 213 persons had at least single lesion in oral part and/or facial part, among which 296 cases had history of exposure to occupational hazards. The detection rate of periodontal calculus or periodontitis was 8.94% in noise-exposed workers and 19.10% in dust-exposed workers, with a statistical difference between them(P < 0.01). The detection rate of oral mucosal ulcers was 12.22% in workers exposed to anhydride, sulfuric acid or sulfur trioxide and 0.99% in noise-exposed workers, with a statistical difference between them(P < 0.01). Totally, 18.83% dust-exposed workers and 14.97% workers exposed to chemical substances suffered with oral and facial lesions and there was a statistical difference between them(P < 05). There was a trend that the morbidity increased with the employed (exposure) time (P < 05).

Conclusion Various occupational hazards could cause the oral and facial health problems. The medical staff should standardize the health examination procedures, understand the occupational exposure history of the examinee, and evaluate the occupational related oral facial lesions comprehensively, to improve the quality of occupational health surveillance.