Risk factors and incidence of oral tumors: Findings from a longitudinal population‐based study

Abstract Objective This study investigated risk factors contributed to benign and malignant oral tumors using longitudinal cohort big data. Materials and Methods We included individuals aged ≥40 years who participated in the National Health Examination in South Korea between 2003 and 2004. National Health Insurance claims data after 16 years were used to determine the incidence of oral tumors and the related risk factors. Hazard ratios were calculated using the Cox proportional hazard regression. Results A total of 5,992,671 participants were included. The incidence of oral cancer was significantly higher in men and increased with age, whereas that of benign tumors was unaffected by sex and decreased with age. Periodontal disease was associated with the incidence of oral cancer but not benign tumors. Soft tissue diseases were associated with both benign and malignant tumors. Various systemic diseases influence the development of oral tumors. Light alcohol consumption reduced the incidence of oral tumors, whereas heavy alcohol consumption increased the incidence of malignant tumors only. Smoking increased the incidence of benign but not malignant tumors. Conclusion Recognized risk factors such as sex, age, comorbidities, and dental diseases were associated with oral tumors. Alcohol consumption and smoking were not significantly associated with malignant tumors.